One of the most eagerly awaited games in years is now not due to arrive until autumn of 2025, games company Take-Two Interactive has confirmed, disappointing millions of gamers hoping for an early 2025 release of "Grand Theft Auto VI".
Until now, the latest title in one of the world's most popular games, had only been announced generally for the year of 2025, and fans had little more than a trailer released in December to go on for clues about the game.
Gamers were not the only ones hoping for an earlier "Grand Theft Auto VI" release date, and the company's share price fell by a good 2% in after-hours trading following the announcement.
The one-and-a-half-minute previously released trailer shows a fictitious version of the US metropolis of Miami with speeding cars, fast motorboats, weapons, crocodiles and many characters, including the saga's first female protagonist, named Lucia.
The previous instalment, "Grand Theft Auto V", was released back in 2013, and Take-Two also announced that the game had now been purchased 200 million times.
The gaming website Kotaku reported at the end of March that the developers still needed time and that autumn 2025 was the more likely date, although the developer company Rockstar had at times aimed for a release at the beginning of the year. Kotaku also wrote at the time that the management even feared a delay until 2026.
The company is still not naming a PC release date, but going by previous Rockstar releases, PC gamers may need to wait an additional 1-2 years after the 2025 release before Rockstar expands the game to new platforms.
Some reports have suggested that Rockstar is investing around $1 billion on the latest game's development. Rockstar is saying only that "Grand Theft Auto VI" will be the biggest and most immersive game in the series yet.
