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GTA VI has become the elephant in the room among game developers and journalists, with nearly everyone engaged in a strange game of “4D chess” to try to figure out the best way to approach the now-delayed sequel to one of the best-selling games of all time. Even though Rockstar has confirmed the May 2026 release date for Grand Theft Auto VI, developers are looking for the best way to make sure they don’t get caught in GTA’s shadow if that release date slips again.

It feels like a given that Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the biggest game of the year when it comes out, but Bloomberg has reported that the May 2026 release date has sent many game developers into a frenzy of planning. There is a sense that GTA VI is going to suck all the oxygen up in the industry, becoming the only thing that anyone talks about for months and overshadowing every release in its wake.

“Now they’re caught in a vise,” explains Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. “Delaying their game a second time would be an expensive endeavor, ratcheting up the stakes for the eventual release. Then again, trying to come out alongside GTA VI could be catastrophic. But… what if they delay again and then GTA VI slips along with them? There’s no guarantee that May 2026 is a sure thing. The best hope might be to release in March, April, or even early May, and hope it’s not disastrous.”

This sounds a bit dramatic, but game developers have reason to be worried. Elden Ring was such a huge release back in 2022 that it practically smothered the also very good Horizon: Forbidden West for media coverage. I remember watching as a games journalist as Guerrilla Games struggled to find their footing while marketing their much-anticipated sequel, so I don’t think anyone is taking GTA VI’s release date lightly.

Video game development has gotten more expensive, so it isn’t surprising that no one wants to risk releasing a game at the wrong time only to be caught in the GTA VI shockwave. Whether it comes in May 2026 or we see its release date pushed back again, everyone is going to be watching Rockstar in the coming months.

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