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Abandon Ship!

With yet another delay for Grand Theft Auto VI, this time to autumn 2026, what are the odds that upcoming big games do what we saw others do this year (namely: move to try and stay out of the way)? Would Sony punt Wolverine to early 2027, for example? – Darrin Wright via Facebook

If GTA VI has demonstrated anything, it’s that no video game release date is set in stone until the game hits store shelves. In fact, it’s extremely rare, but sometimes, a game will even arrive to us, the reviewers, only to receive a delay while we’re in the middle of playing it. At this point, video game release dates feel more like loose projections than release dates in other entertainment industries. All that to say: There are plenty of reasons a developer or publisher can push their release dates up until the very last minute.

Now, that said, a massive game release can certainly influence other launches. Look no further than 2025’s Hollow Knight: Silksong announcement. After Team Cherry revealed that Silksong was arriving on September 4, several indie games were pushed to the latter part of the month. However, those developers dodged one landmine just to jump on top of different one, as another one of the most acclaimed games of 2025, Hades II, surprise-launched into 1.0 on September 25. Grand Theft Auto VI will undoubtedly be one of the biggest game launches of the decade, if not ever, and we anticipate other games will modify their launch plans around it. It’s entirely possible games like Marvel’s Wolverine might push to 2027, but GTA isn’t the only reason games might get delayed out of the fall 2026 window. After all, what if they delay their game, only for GTA VI to get pushed again?