GTA 6 news · 5 November 2026

GTA 6 budget 'expensive' and took 'a long time', Zelnick says

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told the Wall Street Journal in an interview reported on 5 November 2026 that GTA 6 "was expensive and it took a long time" to make. He did not give a figure for the development cost.

What did Strauss Zelnick say about the GTA 6 budget?

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke to the Wall Street Journal about what it has taken to build Grand Theft Auto 6, and his answer on cost was short. "It was expensive and it took a long time," he said, according to GameSpot's report on 5 November 2026.

He did not put a number on the spend. Talk around the game's budget has run well ahead of anything official, and Zelnick's comment addresses the scale of the project without backing any of the figures that have been floating about.

Why has GTA 6 taken so long?

The game has been in development for years and has slipped more than once. Zelnick framed the long schedule as part of Take-Two's wider aim of making the best entertainment rather than rushing something out.

He also had words for a "high-profile" game that launched in a rough state, using it as a contrast to how Take-Two wants to release its own titles. He did not name the game in the remarks reported by GameSpot.

When is GTA 6 out?

GTA 6 is set for release on 19 November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. No PC version has been announced.

The date has moved before, so players are watching closely as the launch gets nearer. Zelnick's comments suggest the studio is putting finish ahead of speed, which is the tone Take-Two has taken publicly about the game's readiness.