The highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI has stalled again. Rockstar Games, the developers behind it, made the announcement on social media … much to the furore of fans of the video game.
Grand Theft Auto VI was originally set to release in late 2025, then was delayed to May of 2026 before being delayed again to November 2026. It will serve as the long-awaited sequel to Grand Theft Auto V, a game that was released all the way back in 2013.
“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,” the developers told followers.
Grand Theft Auto V is the second best-selling game of all time with 220 million units sold and is currently the highest grossing title of its kind, hitting around $8 billion as of January 2025.
Frustrated fans of the franchise in Bahrain were quick to air their disenchantment, alongside an acceptance of the situation.
Student Mohsin Ali, 20, said: “The wait for GTA 6 feels like forever. I’m expecting something insane, a world that feels not just alive but a reflection of reality, which isn’t too much to ask considering Rockstar consistently pushes the boundaries.
“The delays are painful but at the same time I get it. A game of this scale isn’t something you rush. Rockstar appear to be the kind of company who would rather take their time to deliver perfection instead of something half-baked.
“Despite that, it’s very hard not to feel frustrated with all the delays. We’re so close to touching something legendary and generational damn it just gives it to us.”
Student Abdulla Al Kooheji, 23, said: “I always thought of GTA 5 as the perfect game, especially for people who don’t play so much. I hope the delay will go into actually improving the game’s quality, though I am a bit worried hearing that some of the original developers have left the project.”
There no fooling filmmaker Sayed Mujtaba Sadeq, 20, from Ghuraifa, who reckons it’s all part of the corporate big sell. “I think delays are done for marketing purposes. I’m pretty sure the game is already done.”
Student Omar Malek, 20, agrees. “I feel indifferent because it has been delayed so many times now. I’m more hyped for other games, like the new Resident Evil and Lego Batman.”
Experienced gamers say it remains incredibly popular due to Rockstar’s unique open-world design that gives players immense freedom.
The games gained massive popularity when GTA San Andreas was released back in 2004 and became a controversial hit, with many parents and legislators at the time resenting the fact that the game made you play as a criminal and had very adult themes. The game was initially banned in Australia and the UAE.
The controversies and the mass public outcry about these types of games early on, however, only served to make them more popular.
The latest iteration, GTA V, was banned in Saudi Arabia upon release in 2013 and lifted just this January with a new age rating of 21+ and the UAE only lifted its ban on the series last July.
Not surprising perhaps, as player Maryam Al Tawash, 20, a freelance writer from Ghuraifa, admitted: “I’m sad that GTA got delayed, I was looking forward to running over old ladies with a limo (in the game).”
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