GTA VI shouldn't come out on PS5 until 2026 Grand Theft Auto VI may be delayed until late 2025 due to development delays at Rockstar. However, here's why we don't mind a GTA VI 2026 delay if needed.Opinion by Jack Ridsdale Published 25 Mar 2024 FollowtopicsRockstar GamesPlayStation 5Jack Ridsdale We might be waiting a little longer for those Grand Theft Auto VI trophies, as the release date for the most anticipated upcoming PS5 game may have slipped to late 2025 or maybe even a GTA VI 2026 release at this point. Although we're eager to return to Vice City, there are a few good reasons why we're happy to wait for Rockstar's next big title.GTA VI production falls behind as Rockstar urges return to officeAccording to Kotaku, Rockstar has issued a return-to-office mandate for its remote workers, amid fears that GTA VI could miss its 2025 release window. The first trailer for the open-world crime sequel was revealed back in January, confirming 2025 as the release window, with rumors stating that the early part of the year was the target for its launch.Now, it seems that the GTA VI release window has slipped to late 2025, and could slip even further as production falls behind. Rockstar has now urged all employees to attend their offices 5 days a week, leading to ire from employees hired as remote workers. While I'm champing at the bit to see what Rockstar can do with the PS5 (and possibly PS5 Pro) hardware, I'm happy to wait until 2026 to get my hands on it. Here's why.Crunch hurtsAt this point, most of us will have heard the stories about crunch on triple-A game productions, and among the worst offenders has historically been Rockstar Games. Aftermath has reported that the return-to-office mandate is already stressing out employees, leaving some who were hired as remote workers to feel like they are being pushed out of the company.The team behind Rockstar's last single-player title Red Dead Redemption 2 was subjected to an infamously brutal crunch period. During the game's development, staff spoke out on social media about the studio's difficult working conditions, and the former co-president Dan Houser even admitted to some staff working 100-hour weeks to get the game over the line. While the end product was undoubtedly a masterpiece, we can't overlook the human cost of this epic undertaking. I would happily wait a few additional months to play a video game if it meant that the staff who put their hearts and souls into creating it could see their families while working on it.More time means a better gameThere's a famous adage often misattributed to Shigeru Miyamoto saying: "a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." While its origins might be spurious, it's undoubtedly true, and when it comes to the biggest entertainment franchise in history, it's reasonable to expect delays, before GTA VI is ready to be the next game that players will be playing and buying for another decade.We first saw glimpses of the crime sim back in 2022 when GTA VI development footage was leaked, and to be frank, it looked far from finished. It's reasonable to expect Rockstar to need a little more time to cook when less than two years ago, the game seemed far from complete. Fans already have concerns about the game following the departures of some of the key creative leads at Rockstar following the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2, and a rush to release is only likely to intensify these concerns. It's important for the industry as a whole that GTA VI live up to the series' legacy, and I'm happy for Rockstar to take their time, now that we know that the project is real and progressing nicely.We don't want another Cyberpunk 2077Cyberpunk 2077 at launch was far from what fans had hoped for. The team at CD Projekt Red crunched for months in the run-up to launch and the game was still a buggy mess when it hit shelves, seriously damaging the brand. We don't want GTA VI to take four years of patches and add-ons to be considered a great game, we want it to be everything we've dreamed of at launch, and for that to happen, we need to give Rockstar time.From an industry and consumer standpoint, it benefits no one for GTA VI to be rushed to launch, and for these reasons, I encourage Rockstar to take all the time it needs to make GTA VI the game that we all hope it will be. Until GTA VI hits PS5, there are many of the best PS5 games to enjoy. Do you share our viewpoint on a GTA VI delay, or would you rather Rockstar get the game out already? Let us know in the comments below. PlayStation 5 Written by Jack RidsdaleJack is primarily a fan of big, dumb, action games with a soft spot for some Japanese quirkiness. His favorite game series include Metal Gear Solid, Call of Duty, The Last of Us, and Marvel's Spider-Man. He has a keen interest in the business of video games, and complicated opinions about Final Fantasy VII Remake.