It was the news even the most casual of gamers had been dreading: Rockstar has pushed back the release date of GTA VI again, with the delay taking the game’s release from the intended May 2026 back to mid November of 2026. This has been a huge blow to impatient people, me included, because by the time of release it will mean that the sequel has been hotly anticipated for just over 13 years. Massive. Whilst Rockstar shoot big and expect big results and the sales and the inevitable reception will likely be uproarious – the delay of GTA VI has seen an outpouring of drama from inside Rockstar which has included over 30 staff getting fired and protests outside the company’s office. Here’s what’s going down.
The initial statement of the delay from Rockstar devastated people
Hi everyone,
Grand Theft Auto VI will now release on Thursday, November 19, 2026.
We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and… pic.twitter.com/yLX9KIiDzX
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 6, 2025
In a statement released yesterday, Rockstar stated “Grand Theft Auto VI will now release on Thursday, November 19, 2026. We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realise has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.”
Last week, Rockstar fired over 30 employees on the grounds of gross misconduct
Last week, it was reported that over 30 employees had been sacked from Rockstar for allegedly leaking company secrets, and claimed it was nothing to do with the employees unionising. A Rockstar spokesperson stated to Bloomberg “Last week, we took action against a small number of individuals who were found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies. This was in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities.”
This affected staff across Rockstar’s UK and Canada offices. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain called the sackings “one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry.”
There have been protests now outside of Rockstar offices
The @scottishgreens stand with the dozens of workers sacked by @RockstarGames for exercising their right to organise a union.
Reinstate them now, then get around the table and give your staff the pay and conditions they deserve for making you billions. pic.twitter.com/jENH89QNYg
— Ross Greer (@Ross_Greer) November 6, 2025
Outside the Rockstar North offices in Edinburgh, protests had began as the sacked staff claim they were fired for exercising their right to organise a union.
Amid the drama surrounding the delay to GTA VI, Rockstar maintains that this isn’t the case, and says the staff were sacked due to gross misconduct regarding a private Discord chat between workers and the union.
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Featured image via Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
