Take-Two CEO on GTA 6: “We Run Scared” and Won’t Claim Success Before Launch

Strauss Zelnick calls GTA 6 the most anticipated game ever but says success will only be confirmed after its May 2026 launch.

The hype for Grand Theft Auto VI is massive, but Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick isn’t taking anything for granted. Speaking to GI.biz, he admitted that at the company, “we run scared” and that they won’t celebrate until the game is in players’ hands.

“We’re always looking over our shoulders. We take nothing for granted and don’t claim success until it happens. While I couldn’t be more optimistic, all of us have to do the work and deliver something great. Then the consumers will tell us just how great it is,” Zelnick said.

Scheduled for May 26, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S (with a later PC release), GTA 6 is already predicted by analysts to be a juggernaut. One firm expects 40 million units sold in its first year and billions in revenue.

While Zelnick avoided specific sales projections, he did note that “this is perhaps the most highly anticipated property pre-release in the history of entertainment.”

The challenge: surpassing GTA 5
Released in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V has sold over 215 million copies, making it one of the best-selling games ever. It still maintains a massive active player base, and some analysts believe the biggest challenge for GTA 6 will be convincing those players to move on.

The fate of GTA Online also remains unknown, as Rockstar has yet to reveal any details about the online component for the new game.

Beyond GTA 6, rumors suggest Rockstar is working on bringing Red Dead Redemption II to Switch 2 and developing a GTA 4 remaster.

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