GTA 6 Physical Copies Won't Be Delayed, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick Clarifies

Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch on November 19, 2026, but a recent leak claimed that the physical version of the game may be pushed back to avoid leaks. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has now denied the rumour, saying that Rockstar Games does not plan on holding off the physical release of the game.

Rockstar parent Take-Two held its third-quarter FY 2026 earnings call on Tuesday, where Zelnick reaffirmed GTA 6's launch date. The Take-Two boss also revealed that Rockstar would kick off launch marketing push for the game this summer.

In an interview with Variety after the earnings call, Zelnick addressed the rumours about Take-Two considering delaying the physical copies of GTA 6 to avoid early leaks and spoilers.

“That's not the plan,” Zelnick told the publication. His clarification more or less confirms that GTA 6 physical copies and the game's digital version will be released simultaneously on November 19, 2026.

Take-Two and Rockstar, however, have not yet locked down GTA 6's pricing and editions at launch. Those, along with pre-order details, will likely be revealed when Rockstar begins the launch marketing campaign for Grand Theft Auto 6 this summer.

GTA 6 Physical Version Delay Rumour

Last week, a tipster, who reportedly handles physical video game releases in Europe, claimed that Rockstar Games did not have plans for a physical release of GTA 6, at least not for the launch day. The studio, the tipster said, was cautious about potential leaks that may happen in case of physical copies of the game retailing at launch.

The leaker claimed that Take-Two and Rockstar would likely release GTA 6 digitally only on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X initially, before releasing physical copies of the game a few weeks later or in the first half of 2027.

That claim, however, always seemed a bit far-fetched. Rockstar Games has not delayed physical release of its games to avoid leaks in the past. The studio's last game, Red Dead Redemption 2, was available digitally and in physical copies simultaneously at launch.

GTA 6 is set to release on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on November 19, 2026.