Grand Theft Auto 6 Delay
Yesterday I was asked about the GTA 6 delay and I had to pause because I'm not sure if there is a general answer that makes sense here. Grand Theft Auto in itself has become this larger than the industry force that it really is hard to measure that impact outright.
On the personal level it doesn't matter. GTA hit ps1 at the right time for me to be interested in what they are doing but really take off during my teen years on the ps2. I think the series is a defining genre series between 2001 and 2010 but after that the game shifted. Grand Theft Auto V can feel like a living world, a vast world even, but its campaign is largely focused on the main city at the south of the map. This is fine but it gives a lot of the remaining map an empty feel in not just content but mission related relevancy. By the time you reach Act 3 of the campaign missions have devolved into driving from the bottom of the map to the top, or pushing boxes at a shipyard. The entire final act raid feels story justified but flat featured after some truly exciting heists.
Grand Theft Auto V's true focus was the online component, the component they have kept going with new content for nearly a decade since. Including scrapping content they originally planned for single player dlc to keep focusing on more multiplayer stuff. While this mode is not for me, it is a money maker that can literally keep Rockstar afloat on. It has become a haven for twitch and youtube creators to create tons of content off of.
Industry wise I think this is gonna cause another release date rollercoaster. Many games ran away from the Fall of 2025 to spring when GTA6 was slated unofficially for the Fall. Then it officially moved to May 2026 and you could see companies willing to commit to Fall 2026. With the delay now going there you have to imagine more games will now panic away from GTA6's new date window to 2027.
The reality is why a wait may suck for those die hard fans, this game is going to print money even if it turns out to shockingly suck. It is very unlikely but with an online component that is one of the biggest profiters of the last ten years it is hard to see any scenario a brand new fully featured online mode doesn't dominate the next decade of gaming for casual gamers.
Really if you are one of the people who can't stand waiting anymore the best advice is to expand your horizons and try a new game out. This isn't the era of 30 years ago or even 20 years ago, more games get released everyday than some entire months of the past. Those that are willing to spread their toes in the water may find there is more out there. Or you know just sit another year on GTAV online blowing up people's cars.
