Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has made a bold claim about the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto 6, stating that he believes everybody over the age of 17 will be playing the title when it launches later this year. Take-Two Interactive is the parent company of Rockstar Games, the development studio behind one of the most eagerly awaited video game launches of all-time, Grand Theft Auto 6, which is finally set to hit shelves later this year.
After 13 years of Grand Theft Auto 5 and its standalone multiplayer counterpart, Grand Theft Auto Online, the wait for a new installment is finally coming to an end. After fans got their first unofficial look at Grand Theft Auto 6 via a huge data breach in 2022, Rockstar later revealed the title as originally intended with its very first trailer in 2023, which also confirmed a Fall 2025 release window. However, the wait for more information then became excruciating, and it only ended with unfortunate news, as Rockstar delayed Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025, setting a new release date of May 26, 2026, followed by a second trailer shortly after. Sadly, the bad news didn’t stop there, as the studio would then go on to delay the title once more, this time pushing its launch date to November 19, 2026.
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Take-Two CEO Believes Everyone Above 17 Will Play GTA 6
As Grand Theft Auto 6‘s November release date is now seemingly locked in, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick is beginning to discuss the title more and more. During a new interview with The Game Business, the studio head boldly claimed that everybody over the age of 17 with a console will be playing the next GTA game. “If you have a console and you’re over 17, just explain to me how is that you’ve decided, no, no, GTA 6, not interested. I just don’t see it,” Zelnick said. It’s a bold claim, but it’s one that has a lot of truth to it. Grand Theft Auto 6‘s trailers have already been record-breaking in the media industry, proving the hype and anticipation for the title is like nothing ever seen before.
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As the months go by, it’s clear that Take-Two is becoming increasingly confident in Rockstar’s next release. Earlier this year, the company’s CEO revealed that marketing for Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to begin in the Summer, while also reaffirming the game’s November 19, 2026, release date. Now, Zelnick has expressed his confidence in the past, only for GTA 6 to later be delayed, but announcing marketing plans ahead of time is something extremely out of the ordinary, not only for Take-Two, but for publishers as a whole.
Given that it has now been almost one year since the release of Grand Theft Auto 6‘s second trailer, Zelnick’s statement that marketing will begin in the summer suggests the wait for more news, trailers, and screenshots could be almost over. Although Summer isn’t officially set to begin until late June, some are speculating that a third trailer could arrive before marketing kicks off. Some eagle-eyed fans noticed that Rockstar recently announced three weeks’ worth of Grand Theft Auto Online bonuses instead of just the one, leading to speculation that the studio is “clearing the calendar” for an imminent announcement, possibly sometime in early April.
Of course, there’s no way to predict what Rockstar has in store for fans, as the studio has proven time and time again with Grand Theft Auto 6 that it isn’t sticking with its traditional release schedule when it comes to trailers and info dumps. The good news is that the game’s November release date seems to be set in stone this time around, with no further Grand Theft Auto 6 delays likely. An industry insider even recently claimed that Take-Two Interactive has reaffirmed the launch date to PlayStation and Xbox privately.


- Released
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November 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+
Source: The Gamer






