La Quotidienne de Bruxelles - Grand Theft Auto VI release postponed to May 2026: publisher

The game was originally due to be released later this year, with a trailer having shown that it would be set in Miami-like Vice City and would feature a playable female protagonist for the first time.

"We are very sorry that this is later than you expected," Rockstar Games said in a statement.

"With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception," it said.

"We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve."

Its predecessor, GTA V, was released in 2013 and sold more than 200 million copies.

The first trailer for GTA VI appeared in December 2023 and has been seen more than 250 million times on Rockstar's YouTube channel.

Set to the Tom Petty song "Love Is A Long Road," the trailer opens with a female character named Lucia being released from prison in what appears to be a fictionalized version of Florida.

Near the close of the one-minute-and-30-second clip, she tells her male partner in crime: "The only way we are going to get through this is by sticking together, being a team."

The pair go on to burst into a store with pistols drawn and bandanas covering the lower halves of their faces.

Fans saw the scene as confirmation that rumours of a "Bonnie and Clyde" type crime couple are coming true.

Along with its wild success, the GTA series has faced criticism over its violent content.

Critics have from the beginning accused Grand Theft Auto of glorifying violence and encouraging players to engage in criminal behaviour –- allegations rejected by executives at Rockstar's parent company, New York-based Take-Two Interactive.

GTA players sell drugs, fight, rob, go on car rampages and more.

Gameplay options also included assaulting sex workers and going to strip clubs, raising the ire of activists.

J.Hermans--LCdB