Have you heard the whispers? According to my sources, Grand Theft Auto VI has been delayed again. It’s weird, because a guy promised me this wouldn’t happen. Anyway, PlayStation Plus subscribers can somewhat console themselves with word from the extremely reliable leaker billbil-kun over at Dealabs: GTA V seems to be making its way back onto PS Plus yet again later this month.
This is the third appearance of GTA V on PS Plus, last disappearing from the service in May this year. It seems likely that had the game met its original release plan of fall 2025, it would not have returned, so as to push all focus onto GTA VI without a surrogate “free” earlier entry for people to play instead. Then the game was surprise-delayed in May this year to May 2026, and none of that made much sense any more. So, then with the intention of seeing the game come out in May 2026, Rockstar seemingly made plans with Sony to return it to the sub for a bit.
Except, now that’s gone wrong too! However, what seems definitely impossible is that this news of GTA V‘s return to PS Plus has anything to do with last night’s shock announcement—such things would have been organized long ago. Instead it’s perhaps a rather timely coincidence for Rockstar, given it gives the appearance of saying, “Look, play this one for ‘free’ for a bit to cushion the blow.”
GTA V was also added to Microsoft’s Game Pass last year, and has remained their since, rather than following the odd six months on, six months off pattern the game’s had with PlayStation. And even if there had been plans to yoink it from the Xbox subscription some time soon, that’d be a pretty disastrous PR move at this point. So it seems reasonably likely that both PS5 and Xbox players will be able to keep playing for the foreseeable. Although definitely expect it to disappear from both should the game actually manage to come out November 2026, with Rockstar wanting everyone as hungry as possible to spend money on the shiny new game.
Or perhaps we’re just six months away from the announcement of the next delay, when GTA VI gets slated for May 2027, just in time for it to then get held back again as a PS6 release, and everyone who loved GTA V ages out shortly before the heat death of the universe.
