Photo by nicolas perez on Unsplash

Fans of the video game Grand Theft Auto have been waiting a long time for the new version of the game – and now they’ll have to wait a little bit longer.

In its fiscal second quarter earnings report, released Thursday afternoon, officials at Take-Two Interactive (Nasdaq: TTWO), the company that makes the game, said the release of Grand Theft Auto VI would be delayed a year, to November 19, 2026.

The news of the delay likely drove shares of Take-Two Interactive stock down about 9% on Friday to $230 per share.

The popular game hasn’t had a new version since 2013 when Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) came out. GTA V is the best-selling console game of all-time with more than 200 million units sold, so the long-awaited new version will likely lead to massive sales and revenue for Take-Two.

We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve,” company officials said. “We want to thank you again for your patience and support.”

The game was originally slated to come out this fall. The disappointment over the GTA VI delay tarnished what was a decent quarter for Take-Two.

• Revenue: $1.77B, up 31% year-over-year. This beat estimates of $1.73B.
• Net bookings: $1.96B, up 33% year-over-year. This beat estimates of $1.73B.
• Net loss: $134M, down from $365M in Q2 2024.
• Earnings: -73 cents per share, up from -$2.08 per share a year ago. This missed estimates of -62 cents per share.

“We achieved outstanding second quarter results by releasing new hit titles, driving innovation in live services, and maintaining our commitment to developing the highest quality products,” Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive, said.

Stock is up 26% YTD

The largest contributors to the spike in net bookings last quarter were NBA 2K26 and NBA 2K25, Borderlands 4, Toon Blast, Grand Theft Auto Online and Grand Theft Auto V, Match Factory!, Color Block Jam, Mafia: The Old Country, Empires & Puzzles, Words With Friends, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online, and Toy Blast.

“With momentum across our business, particularly in mobile and NBA 2K, we are raising our Fiscal Year 2026 Net Bookings forecast for the second consecutive quarter,” Zelnick said.

As the company looks to fiscal year 2027, which starts April 1, 2026, Take-Two is eyeing record net bookings, spurred by the November release of GTA VI.

We expect to achieve record levels of Net Bookings in Fiscal 2027, which will establish a new baseline for our business and set us on a path of enhanced profitability,” Zelnick said.

Take-Two stock is up 26% year-to-date, even with Friday’s selloff. It is rated a consensus buy among analysts and had a median price target of $280 per share, which suggests 22% upside. However, it is trading at 102 times forward earnings.

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