The release of Grand Theft Auto VI is November of this year (assuming Rockstar doesn’t hit the delay button again) is going to be a genuinely monumental moment for video games as a whole, likely breaking a ton of records in the process.

Anticipation among the player base is understandably high and there’s little doubt that the game is going to be about as ambitious as it’s feasible to be. It’s an exciting time to be a fan, and one that we should all enjoy, but what a lot of the industry isn’t paying attention to is the wider effect it is already having on the release plans of other games, and more schedules are changing all the time.

GTA 6 Is Having A Major Impact On 2026’s Release Schedule

Over on Reddit, one user shared a quote from Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb, in which he confirmed some information regarding the plans Playground Games is making for the upcoming release of the beloved fairy tale fantasy series Fable.

“I’ll say that I’ve heard that Fable has been pushed internally. That doesn’t mean that it’s coming out next year. Apparently they’re still trying to get it out this year, but they are worried about the launch of GTA VI. So if it’s getting delayed beyond the release of GTA VI, that could push it into December, which might make it a prime candidate to get delayed into 2027.”

It’s genuinely disappointing news if you were hoping to play Fable soon (particularly as it has already been delayed), and there could easily be other big releases that are altering their plans ahead of the arrival of Rockstar’s juggernaut.

The responses are filled with concerned comments from those excited for other games, with one saying, “We’re already in April and I’m wondering about titles like Control Resonant, Onimusha and the new Tomb Raider. No one wants to release end of the year and the months are getting thinner in terms of space.”

“Seems like a lot of people in the comments don’t understand the size of the black hole that’s going to be created around GTA’s release. There’s a reason why every publisher and developer is s**tting themselves over this. Not only do you lose a significant chunk of your player base to GTA, your game will (unfairly) be compared to GTA by normies who don’t understand just how much money is being pumped into GTA compared to other games,” another added.

If You Don’t Want To Play GTA 6 In November, You Might Be Bored

The fact remains that nobody is going to want to launch around November, with further issues foreseeable next year when the PC version of the game launches. Hopefully, you are a fan of GTA VI and you’ll be buying it when it launches in November, or there won’t be a lot of other options on the table for video game fun.

Released

November 19, 2026

ESRB

Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+

Engine

Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer