GTA 6 release date pigeonholed thanks to Borderlands 4

Grand Theft Auto 6 fans are itching to know the official release date for the game, but what if the window was just narrowed down by the recent showcase of Borderlands 4 at Sony's State of Play?

Gearbox showcased a new trailer for Borderlands 4 at Sony's State of Play event, and besides the interesting gameplay, the developer revealed when the title will be available to games - September 23, 2025. Now, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of Borderlands 4 and the Grand Theft Auto franchise, has previously confirmed that Take-Two won't "stack up huge releases unnecessarily," which means Take-Two won't release two big titles, such as GTA 6 and Borderlands 4 close together, as it would potentially cannibalize sales.

Notably, this isn't a unique strategy by Take-Two and is common practice not only in the video game industry but also in movies and most other competitive industries. How does this relate to the release date of GTA 6? Well, we know GTA 6 is coming out in the Fall of 2025, which is from September to November. Combine that fact with Take-Two confirming 2K's Mafia: The Old Country is scheduled to release in the Summer of 2025, between June and August. Now, Borderlands 4 is scheduled for release in late September, ruling out that month for GTA 6. That leaves a window of two months for GTA 6.

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Now, we enter speculation territory. Do you think Take-Two will release GTA 6, the most anticipated game of all time, just one month after releasing Borderlands 4, another one of the publisher's most anticipated games? My bet is probably not, especially considering how much of the market will be captured by the release of GTA 6 when it finally becomes available. If Take-Two decided to launch just a month after Borderlands 4, it would be running the risk of a large portion of Borderlands 4 players dropping the title to pick up GTA 6, which would hurt the sales of Borderlands 4, not to mention its player retention.

That leaves us with November. It's my belief, considering the words from Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick, that the release of Grand Theft Auto VI will be sometime in late November to give Borderlands 4 as much breathing room as it possibly can. Take-Two and Gearbox will want as many players as they possibly can to enjoy the latest release in the Borderlands franchise before GTA 6 releases and sweeps up a large portion of the gaming market.