GTA 6 is set to launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025, but its exact release date remains a mystery. Although it was rumored to be out early next year, based on announcements made at Rockstar Games' parent company, Take-Two Interactive's 2023 Earnings Calls, Wedbush Securities analysts reportedly suggest that the highly anticipated title might be released after April 2025.
As reported by pushsquare.com, the analysis takes into account the decrease in Take-Two's anticipated Net Bookings revenue for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). While the company never linked the anticipated revenue with Grand Theft Auto 6, the upcoming Rockstar Games title is likely the only candidate capable of generating the original expected Net Bookings income.
GTA 6 release date might not fall in early 2025
Take-Two Interactive was anticipating around eight billion dollars in Net Bookings in FY25, as revealed in its 2023 earnings calls. However, the figure was reportedly decreased to an expected seven billion for the same Fiscal Year in the company's Q3 2024 earnings call that took place on February 9, 2024.
Despite the figure still being high, Wedbush Securities analysts Nick McCay and Michael Pachter suggest the decline might mean the release date of GTA 6 may not be within Take-Two's FY25 window, which seemingly runs from April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025.
Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two's CEO, also spoke about the company's latest earnings call and that Rockstar was seeking perfection with Grand Theft Auto 6, suggesting that it might not come out until the developer feels it is ready.
While this news may be disappointing for some GTA 6 fans, this is merely speculation, as neither Rockstar Games nor Take-Two have announced a set release date or delays related to the same.
Additionally, Rockstar tends to release new games in the latter half of the year. Grand Theft Auto 5, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, and Red Dead Redemption 2 are all recent examples of this trend. Hence, the sequel not arriving in early 2025 should not come as a surprise.
Since there is a lot of excitement surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6, especially after the GTA 6 leaks and the debut trailer, Rockstar taking time to perfect it seems like the best approach. This should make the game free of bugs, glitches, and other issues upon launch.