GTA 6 Delay No Surprise: Rockstar's History of Postponements

Take a deep breath and remember: Delays are good.

Okay, that statement isn't *always* true, but it usually is. Delayed projects can sometimes lead to disappointing results, like the infamous case of Duke Nukem Forever. However, more often than not, taking extra time results in superior products. The meticulous effort put into perfecting every detail is crucial in art, as is the courage to discard ideas that seemed promising initially but didn't work out. Think about those half-finished games you've bought and played, wishing the publisher had delayed their release until they were fully ready. Keep that thought in mind.

GTA 6 is delayed, and that's good news because it will likely be better for it.

Rockstar has a long-standing tradition of delaying games to ensure they are fully ready for the market. This disciplined approach aligns them with elite studios like Nintendo, who also wait until their projects are perfectly cooked before serving. And the results are always delicious.

I've been a fan of GTA games since their inception, starting with four-player PC GTA LAN parties. From the lesser-known titles like London 1969 to the acclaimed GTA V and the unsung masterpiece Chinatown Wars for DS, I've explored these quirky, wonderful worlds for decades. Thankfully, these games are almost always late... and not coincidentally, always great. Here's a look at every delay in GTA history, along with some from Red Dead.

Grand Theft Auto III

Rockstar's New York offices were just a few blocks from the World Trade Center, and Take Two made the responsible decision to delay GTA III briefly after the September 11 attacks. Marketing VP Terry Donovan announced the delay shortly after the tragedy:

"Our decision is based on two factors: firstly, it has been difficult to work in downtown Manhattan since basic communications have been intermittent at best, and secondly, we felt a full content review of all our titles and marketing materials was necessary following the horrifying events we witnessed. As for Grand Theft Auto, since the game is so vast, the review is not a quick process. We've identified certain small contextual references and a couple of rare gameplay instances that we're no longer comfortable with. We apologize for the delays to everyone waiting for this game, but we're confident you'll understand our reasoning. Rest assured, the game will be phenomenal and will hit shelves in late October."

Even with minimal content changes, the delay was a wise move for both Rockstar and the players. The idea of causing chaos in Liberty City so soon after the tragic loss of thousands would have been inappropriate.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The shortest delays in the series are shared by Vice City and San Andreas. In the era before digital downloads and day-one patches, manufacturers had to estimate production quantities well in advance. Rockstar delayed Vice City by a week to increase disc production and meet the high demand for a follow-up to GTA III.

San Andreas for PS2 also arrived a week later than planned, a strategic decision that allowed the development team a few extra days to polish their two-year project.

Every Celebrity in GTA: San Andreas

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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Let's be honest: The GTA handheld games are incredible, worth revisiting even if it means dusting off your old PSP or DS. While GTA's portable titles usually launch on time, Vice City Stories for PSP was delayed by two weeks in North America and longer in some parts of Europe.

The best GTA game ever (in my opinion), Chinatown Wars, didn't arrive on time either. This inventive and detailed DS title hit shelves two months later than expected. When it finally arrived, it blew critics away, but sadly, it didn't sell well enough. If it had, we might be playing Chinatown Wars 3 on our new Switch 2s by now.

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Grand Theft Auto IV

After GTA III revolutionized the gaming industry, anticipation for GTA IV was immense. With the abandonment of the clunky RenderWare engine and the advent of a new console generation, Rockstar Leeds aimed for the stars. Realizing their vision required several months of delay.

As Rockstar's Sam Houser explained, "The new consoles [PS3 and 360] are allowing us to create the Grand Theft Auto game we always dreamed about. Every aspect of the game and its design has been completely transformed. The game is huge and is pushing the hardware platforms to their absolute limits. The top engineers from Sony and Microsoft are working closely with our team in Edinburgh to fully leverage the power of both platforms. As always, our goal is to surpass even the wildest expectations of the game's fans and create the ultimate high-definition video game experience."

Grand Theft Auto V

The biggest console game ever took its time to arrive. GTA V finally launched in September 2013, though it was initially expected in the spring of that year. In late January 2013, Rockstar released the following message:

"We know this is about four months later than originally planned, and we know this short delay will disappoint many of you, but trust us, it will be worth the extra time. GTAV is a massively ambitious and complex game that simply needs a little more polish to meet the standard we and, more importantly, you require. To all Grand Theft Auto fans, please accept our apologies for the delay, and our promise that the entire team here is working very hard to make the game all it can be. We are doing all we can to ensure it will meet, if not exceed, your expectations come September – we thank you for your support and patience."

They weren't wrong. GTA V became the most successful console game of all time and, alongside RDR2, remains a crown jewel in Rockstar's portfolio.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Although not part of the GTA series, Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar's finest work, and I can't resist discussing it. Following Rockstar's tradition of quality-driven delays, we're including Red Dead Redemption 2, which was delayed twice. The first delay occurred in spring 2017 for quality assurance. The second delay came in February 2018, pushing RDR2 to late October. Rockstar's statement emphasized that this was again a quality issue:

"We are excited to announce that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released on October 26th, 2018. We apologize to everyone disappointed by this delay. While we had hoped to release the game sooner, we need a little extra time for polish.

We sincerely thank you for your patience and hope that when you get to play the game, you will agree the wait will have been worth it. In the meantime, please check out these screenshots from the game. We look forward to sharing a lot more information with you in the coming weeks."

Like all the other delays mentioned, this one paid off, delivering an unparalleled work of art in the world of adventure gaming.

So, friends, don't despair. GTA 6 will come, and when it does, it will almost certainly be very, very good. See you in Vice City.