Grand Theft Auto 5 will release on 17th September 2013, Rockstar has just announced. Bit of a shocker there.
"We know this is about four months later than originally planned and we know that this short delay will come as a disappointment to many of you, but, trust us, it will be worth the extra time," reads a post on the developer's site. "GTAV is a massively ambitious and complex game and it simply needs a little more polish to be of the standard we and, more importantly, you require.
"To all Grand Theft Auto fans, please accept our apologies for the delay, and our promise that the entire team here is working very hard to make the game all it can be. We are doing all we can to help ensure it will meet if not exceed your expectations come September - we thank you for your support and patience."
What do you think? I'm thinking two words. Next. Gen. Rockstar has already revealed that it's working on a new engine for future consoles, which are tipped to launch in the winter. A cross-generational appearance for the new Grand Theft Auto is hardly out of the question, in the circumstances.
Here's everything it's possible to know about GTA 5 at the time of writing.
30 comments so far...
CunningSmile on 31 Jan '13 said:
Four months earlier would have put it in the 'traditional' R* window of May that we were all expecting. With this delay I'm going to add two further words to Ed and say:
Launch. Title.
Clanger67 on 31 Jan '13 said:
Noooooooooooo,damn,so much for spring/early summer.Really as late as September though,surely it has got something to do with next gen.Which despite having too wait ages now might be a good thing in the long run given the size and scope of the game.Probably will suffer too much this gen.
Jobe wan kenobi on 31 Jan '13 said:
Wow I wasn't expecting that, bloody ridiculous.
This game better be amazing to make me wait this long.
Gazisdaman on 31 Jan '13 said:
As long as this is not one of those games that is continually bumped back that date is fine with me, although I had hoped GTA would fill the summer months which are usually void of any major releases. The prospect of a next gen release is a tantalizing one though, it would certainly explain the much bigger world.
OXM ETboy on 31 Jan '13 said:
Twitter's screwed right now. I wonder if this is to blame.
Asterix_909 on 31 Jan '13 said:
ipsofacto on 31 Jan '13 said:
Hahaha, what the hell. So much promo for Spring 2013!
Imagine it'll now be a luck title for the new generation, with a version for the 360 probably as well.
Decent_Jam on 31 Jan '13 said:
The delay might give me enough time to get excited about it. The next gen debate is an interesting one, I really hope the decision is for that and not because they've scrapped half the game and had to start over. I really want this game to be a quintessential demonstration of what is great about games, which it easily could be with the blueprint of the series and the style and everything. Fingers crossed for masses of fun multiplayer modes.
delpoi on 31 Jan '13 said:
Am betting if they released it for this current gen...
1. The graphics wouldnt be as high end as they would like it to be and
2. Without the blu ray player which the next xbox is rumoured to have it would take up like 5 discs lol
comabob on 31 Jan '13 said:
Next Gen?!
Doubt it - purely cos there is no PS4 due out in September - and unlike the 360 the PS3 still has plenty of life left in it imho
msbhvn on 31 Jan '13 said:
Damn! With GTA being R*'s flagship series, I understand them wanting to delay it until it's finished, but GTA V would suffer a dent in its sales if the next gen consoles are unveiled at E3 in June. Of course R* are in a better position to know if that would affect them, and they could always be porting the engine to next gen for a GTA V.I (that's 5.1 in roman numerals).
I'm sure MS would want them to delay further and make GTA V a next gen launch title, but I think that would be a PR disaster after so long in development for 360.
Bezza89 on 31 Jan '13 said:
If it is being pushed back for next gen there's no chance of it not coming out for 360 or ps3 too, they've advertised it as for release on these systems but it wouldn't surprise me if they released it on Xbox gert regardless of whether ps4 is out or not, as most rumours point to this being the release for the nextbox.
I'm a little dubious of it, frankly. Maybe they've just seen the xbox hardware and think it will be very easy to port/upgrade up. More likely I think they just need the extra polish, because I doubt four months extra is enough to sort out the transition to next gen. If there's BF4 info out in 90 days, there's next gen info sooner as we all think that that is a gertrude title too. Maybe we'll find out more then. Personally, I'd wait for a next-gen version if it was 17th september gladly. But it is a colossal wait in the meantime, with only one good game coming out - Bioshock. I've got steam to keep me going though!
NB, there are a lot of childish people commenting on the R* newswire, glad to see our community isn't as low. Let them take the time they need to make it, and respect that.
Apparitions on 31 Jan '13 said:
Oh for f*ck sake. Should have seen this coming. What a f*cking joke. Seriously R*, AGAIN? Whatever.
PaladinRonin on 31 Jan '13 said:
I trust them. Rockstar make very good quailty games so I'm sure the wait will be worth it.
GHOSTY05 on 31 Jan '13 said:
Gutted to be honest, i now it will be worth it, but its one thing having to wait 3 months, but 8 months is a joke!
battfink83 on 31 Jan '13 said:
take your sweet time R*, the only reason they ever delay games is to improve them, not like other devs, pubs who push them back for more dubious reasons......
i seriously doubt its for next gen, if they are out by xmas ill be suprised
maybe its due to the amount of feedback from people who want features of older GTA's back, like customisation of the character, business owning and so on,.
whatever it is, its worth the wait imo
DonkeyWaffles on 31 Jan '13 said:
Gutted that R* aren't releasing GTA 5 until September. I can wait though. Problem with 17th September is that the many people of the younger generations who I know buy GTA games are going to have little time to play it as most will be back to school, college etc. Maybe the time delay wasn't a good idea.
battfink83 on 31 Jan '13 said:
and thats a bad thing how? a GTA game thats not full of kids? oh the horror......
Xbox11 on 1 Feb '13 said:
It doesn't look good enough to be a Next Gen Launch title , And they have already said its missing features that were in past titles , If it was launching on the the next Xbox or Ps4 Then it would of had everything in it and more , This game is for 360 and ps3 , And its been delayed even more than anyone imagined, Why the PC Version has been forgotten is beyond me.
Takes the biscuit for me I'm afraid, I wont be bothering with it , With games like Defiance coming in April ill be more interested in something like that , Kids can play this game with a soppy rottweiler in the car with them at Christmas, Perhaps they should stick some pink 6ft dildos in it , That worked out well for Saints Row
FishyGinger on 1 Feb '13 said:
Boo hoo and fiddlesticks. What a shame. Well I'm just a big ball don't care, it's held back for a reason (let the reason be love? bah, goddamned radio..) and I'm sure it'll be good so I can wait.
Dave101 on 1 Feb '13 said:
im still getting huge laughs from saints row 3 so im not bothered, and im still playing vice city on compatability mode. will we be playing gta5 10 years after release?
GallifreyDog on 1 Feb '13 said:
Probably - I still play San Andreas, and GTA V looks a lot better than it. Then again, GTA V probably won't have the nostalgia factor that SA does for me.
Sandbwoy on 1 Feb '13 said:
Wasn't it originally planned for a September 2012 release? By the time it comes out that will be a whole year of delays! On the bright side though, gives me chance to finish a few other games before it finally gets released.
GHOSTY05 on 1 Feb '13 said:
Who knows, maybe they decided to add the ability to purchase property after much demand, or other things people have asked for!
I don't want any more apologies, what i want is a new trailer, box art reveal and more screen shots, i want to see more of the damn game.
I want to see more of the police and just some normal gameplay would be nice.
JustMe on 2 Feb '13 said:
Forgive me for sounding confused as I am asking on behalf of somebody. But does this mean that GTA 5 will not be available on the current XBOX 360? Will it only be available on the new version? Thanks
The Holczanator on 2 Feb '13 said:
its no big deal to wait few extra months for a game
jonafightus on 2 Feb '13 said:
I will play other games between now and september and get on with normal life. Fooling everyone into thinking i do not care about GTA V's release date.
Uncle dozens on 3 Feb '13 said:
In one hand i hold my annoyance at another developer slamming it's delivery date back 4 months.
In my other hand i hold my annoyance at another group of gamers forcing people to commit to delivery dates they cannot meet.
The fact is that we have become a nation of forcing delivery dates out of people ASAP, the developers have become accustomed to it and will happily also give us bullshit dates knowing they can always chuck it back a few months if they need to.
Lets all just remain calm though. GTA will be released at some point and you can bet it will be bloody awesome
LNT73 on 3 Feb '13 said:
Moan, moan, moan. Just be grateful they are making one for the 360. I'm sure four months isn't going to kill you to wait.
GHOSTY05 on 3 Feb '13 said:
4 months, so is the game actually coming out in may/june then?
No, it isn't its four months on top of the original 4 months, that's 8 months or the best part of another year, that's what people are moaning about.