With today's eagerly awaited release of GTA 6, one of the biggest questions in the gaming world is, "When will GTA 6 be released?" is probably "When will GTA 6 be released? So far, developer Rockstar has been tight-lipped on the matter, only teasing a 2025 release date in the first GTA 6 trailer. But even that vague release date could be pushed back to 2026 due to production issues, according to the latest rumors.

According to a new report from Kotaku, the studio's current goal is to release GTA 6 in "early 2025," as has been previously rumored, but the delay makes it "increasingly likely" that it will be in late 2025 or even 2026, according to a A source familiar with the game's development told the outlet on condition of anonymity. According to the source, a fall 2025 release seems more realistic at this stage, but delaying the game until 2026 is also being discussed as a kind of "back-up plan" or "emergency option" if necessary.

The exact reason for the production "delay" is not clear from the reports, but it is enough to make Rockstar leaders concerned about meeting the spring 2025 release window, one of the main reasons for Rockstar's controversial "back-to-work directive" as development of GTA 6 is in the midst of a major push, According to an internal email to staff confirmed by Bloomberg, Rockstar attributed the decision to productivity and security reasons.

The sudden notice and drastic change in policy reportedly took many employees by surprise, and with news of the mandate beginning in April, developers at the usually secretive studio told Aftermath that if disgruntled remote workers began leaving, Rockstar could lose talent at a critical time. They voiced concerns that the company might be hemorrhaging talent at a critical time. Others worry that Rockstar will revert to the brutal crunch culture it has been known for in the past.

Of course, until Rockstar confirms something, it is important to take all this talk about the release of "GTA 6" with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, it is quickly becoming clear that the last year or so of development for "GTA 6" is going to be more of a headache than Rockstar had anticipated; "GTA 5," which was scheduled for release in the spring of 2013, was famously delayed until October of that year. It is very possible that its successor will suffer the same fate.