Rockstar Games announced on Nov. 6 that they are again delaying Grand Theft Auto VI to Nov. 19, 2026. 

“These extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve,” the company said in a statement published on their website. 

Their next installment in the Grand Theft Auto series was first announced in December 2023, with a release window sometime this year. Rockstar then provided a more precise timeline for fall 2025. It was last May that the first delay was announced, with the official release date being May 26, 2025. To little surprise, the game is being delayed further. 

This new delay comes simultaneously with news of mass layoffs at their UK studios last month. The BBC reported that the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain led protests outside the company’s London and Edinburgh offices. 

The IWGB yees were fired for discussing forming a union. Rockstar’s official statement made to Bloomberg claims that the employees were fired for sharing confidential information in a public forum. It is worth noting that no major outlet has reported such information. 

Rockstar has come under fire in the past for its “crunch culture,” including 80-hour work weeks and prohibiting employees from having their phones at their desks to keep focus on development. 

This has led to further speculation about employees refusing to work in solidarity with their coworkers, and that this is the true reason behind the delay.

Whether a silent strike or further polish on the game, fans have agreed that the hype surrounding the release has died down. As they wait for a game that may or may not be released, further scrutiny is being brought upon Rockstar and its alleged mistreatment of its employees.