{"id":1969699,"date":"2026-06-03T09:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T06:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1969699"},"modified":"2026-06-03T09:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T06:35:08","slug":"grand-theft-auto-6-looms-like-a-black-hole-in-the-release-schedule-but-is-pushing-everything-into-september-the-way-to-deal-with-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1969699","title":{"rendered":"Grand Theft Auto 6 looms like a black hole in the release schedule, but is pushing everything into September the way to deal with it?"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"features\" data-article-group=\"feature\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/features\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Features<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/grand-theft-auto-vi\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Grand Theft Auto VI<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Grand Theft Auto 6 looms like a black hole in the release schedule, but is pushing everything into September the way to deal with it?<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Do you remember the 2100 games of September?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/gta-header_jY1XRjR.jpg?width=690&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"GTA 6&apos;s two main characters, one pointing a gun, overlaid on a calendar with the 19th circled.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"gta-header_jY1XRjR.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"690\" height=\"388\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Rockstar \/ 2K \/ Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dom Peppiatt avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/pxl_20220402_110941365.portrait_V04meYj.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1044\" height=\"1130\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Dom Peppiatt avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"pxl_20220402_110941365.portrait_V04meYj.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1044\" height=\"1130\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"features\"><br \/>\n                    Feature<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/dom-peppiatt\">Dom Peppiatt<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Deputy Editorial Director<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-06-03T09:35:08+00:00\">June 3, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-release-date-black-hole?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          10 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"7685df9e-22e2-4b0e-a893-03c1781df5f1\" data-name=\"Grand Theft Auto VI\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Grand Theft Auto VI\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Grand Theft Auto VI\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Grand Theft Auto VI\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Grand Theft Auto VI\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Grand Theft Auto VI\" title=\"Follow Grand Theft Auto VI\"><br \/>\n  Follow Grand Theft Auto VI<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>I&#8217;m going to start by addressing a game that Sony didn&#8217;t even deign to mention in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/june-2026-playstation-state-of-play-live-report\">last night&#8217;s PlayStation State of Play broadcast<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-everything-we-know-so-far-9357\">Grand Theft Auto 6<\/a>. Except, Sony <em>did<\/em> sort-of mention it, just in the margins of its showcase. From the very beginning, when it showed off Marvel&#8217;s Wolverine in a whirlwind of viscera and adamantium and reiterated its 15th September launch, to the final release date of the showcase &#8211; 24th September for Control Resonant &#8211; you could just about hear a silent klaxon blaring over PlayStation HQ: <em>Grand Theft Auto 6, Grand Theft Auto 6, Grand Theft Auto 6. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Any developer or publisher with an iota of business acumen is staying as far away from Rockstar&#8217;s 19th November impact crater as possible. Rightly so. But because of Take-Two&#8217;s reticence to commit to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-pre-order-release-date-leak\"> a hard GTA 6 date until really quite recently<\/a>, we&#8217;ve not seen many other games state their release dates in turn. So, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-release-date-reaffirmed\">as Take-Two big boss Strauss Zelnick does the rounds<\/a> to assure us all that date is set in stone, the calendar shuffles and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/fable-reboot-delayed-2027-amid-reported-gta-6-worries\">even triple-A bets like Fable scurry out of the way<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) - Official Trailer 2\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sQEGy86F2gE?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/sQEGy86F2gE\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) &#8211; Official Trailer 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>The guilty party.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sQEGy86F2gE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>What that means is showcases like State of Play &#8211; and, I&#8217;d wager, all of the other big shows this week &#8211; will do the same pantomime dance around release dates. September 2026 is already bewildering: The Blood of Dawnwalker on the 3rd, Marvel&#8217;s Wolverine on the 15th, Silent Hill Townfall and Control Resonant on the 24th, Onimusha Way of the Sword on the 25th. There  are more in October: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/rayman-legends\">Rayman Legends<\/a> Retold and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve were announced tonight, and they join Star Wars Galactic Racer on the 6th, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/planet-zoo\">Planet Zoo<\/a> 2 on the 13th, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on the 23rd, and Phantom Blade Zero (which caught a delay) on October 29th. And I&#8217;m only picking the <em>big <\/em>games here; there are plenty of promising double-A and indie titles peppered amongst the calendar chicanery.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>To put it simply: Q3 is going to be <em>a lot. <\/em>September and October are wall-to-wall. And the week is far from done. We still have the Geoffs (the Summer Game Fest showcase), the Xbox showcase, and a plethora of smaller ones to roll by. We are going to get <em>so many more release dates<\/em>, and I promise you now that few &#8211; if any &#8211; will dare step near November&#8217;s big, pulsing warning sign. But that just moves the problem, doesn&#8217;t it? In avoiding GTA, all these games end up fighting amongst themselves; people only have so much budget to spend on games&#8230; who can commit to buying that many titles in one month?<\/p>\n<p>November belongs to GTA 6 even if the game isn&#8217;t out until the 19th. Or maybe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/gothic-3\">Gothic 3<\/a> Classic on 24th November? You do you, lads. But it&#8217;s also December that belongs to GTA and January; the calendar is bare. Based on what we know so far, normalcy only resumes in February, as games like Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis poke their heads tentatively out of release date hibernation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"image_wrapper\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Franklin in GTA V on PC\" height=\"2160\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"3840\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Franklin in GTA V on PC\" data-autosize=\"bounds_lossy\" data-uri=\"grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg\" height=\"2160\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"3840\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"loading spinner large\"><\/span><\/p>\n<nav class=\"pagination--hoverable\">\n<div class=\"previous\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Previous\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style=\")\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"next\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Next\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style=\")\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"details_overlay\">\n<div class=\"counter\">\n<span class=\"current\">1<\/span> <span class=\"of\">of<\/span> <span class=\"max\">6<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"details\">\n<div class=\"button-wrapper\">\n<button aria-label=\"Toggle information\" class=\"toggle button outline\"><\/button><br \/>\n<button aria-label=\"Close fullscreen gallery\" class=\"close button\"><\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"thumbnails-wrapper overflow-shadow-x\">\n<div class=\"thumbnails\">\n<button class=\"thumbnail active\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar Games\" data-uri=\"grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Franklin in GTA V on PC\" height=\"2160\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"3840\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Franklin in GTA V on PC\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg\" height=\"2160\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"3840\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar\" data-uri=\"Cal_Hampton_04_n4sKXlZ.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA 6&apos;s Jason and Cal Hampton in casual wear carrying duffle bags\" height=\"2160\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Cal_Hampton_04_n4sKXlZ.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"3840\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"GTA 6&apos;s Jason and Cal Hampton in casual wear carrying duffle bags\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"Cal_Hampton_04_n4sKXlZ.jpg\" height=\"2160\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"3840\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar\" data-uri=\"Lucia-in-GTA-6-using-a-punch-bag.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lucia in GTA 6 uses a punchbag. She has her hair scraped back and her fist raised\" height=\"703\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Lucia-in-GTA-6-using-a-punch-bag.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1249\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Lucia in GTA 6 uses a punchbag. She has her hair scraped back and her fist raised\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"Lucia-in-GTA-6-using-a-punch-bag.jpg\" height=\"703\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1249\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar\" data-uri=\"Boobie-Ike-in-GTA-6.webp\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Boobie Ike in GTA 6\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Boobie-Ike-in-GTA-6.webp?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Boobie Ike in GTA 6\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"Boobie-Ike-in-GTA-6.webp\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar\" data-uri=\"GTA-6&apos;s-Jason-aims-a-gun-with-a-bandana-scarf-covering-his-lower-face-and-yellow-rimmed-sunglasses-over-his-eyes.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA 6&apos;s Jason aims a gun with a bandana scarf covering his lower face and yellow rimmed sunglasses over his eyes\" height=\"806\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/GTA-6&apos;s-Jason-aims-a-gun-with-a-bandana-scarf-covering-his-lower-face-and-yellow-rimmed-sunglasses-over-his-eyes.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1433\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"GTA 6&apos;s Jason aims a gun with a bandana scarf covering his lower face and yellow rimmed sunglasses over his eyes\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"GTA-6&apos;s-Jason-aims-a-gun-with-a-bandana-scarf-covering-his-lower-face-and-yellow-rimmed-sunglasses-over-his-eyes.jpg\" height=\"806\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1433\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar Games\" data-uri=\"GTA-6_street-party.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A street party in Vice City in Grand Theft Auto 6\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/GTA-6_street-party.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A street party in Vice City in Grand Theft Auto 6\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"GTA-6_street-party.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fullscreen_info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nCaption          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"attribution\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nAttribution          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-gallery-caption\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"advert_container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>But that gets me thinking: what if a game <em>does<\/em> go up against GTA in November? What if some plucky publisher, probably Devolver, dared stare Goliath in the face and go against it? I don&#8217;t think 100 percent of the video game audience is going to play GTA 6 in the end, even if it&#8217;s liable to gross $1 billion in three days (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/grand-theft-auto-5-was-the-uks-biggest-video-game-launch-ever\">its predecessor did, after all<\/a>). Could one game, one brave soul, stand up to the Rockstar hegemony and come out better for it? Perhaps a goal will be left wide open for such a chancer.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Though, it is notable that we didn&#8217;t hear <em>anything<\/em> about GTA at all during Sony&#8217;s showcase. I know Rockstar defiantly does its own thing, showing trailers on its terms whenever it feels like it, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-rockstar-take-two-ps5-marketing-core-audience\">but PlayStation <em>does <\/em>have a marketing deal for GTA 6,<\/a> so however that materialises will be interesting to see. Maybe it&#8217;s just a &#8216;captured on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/topics\/ps5-pro\">PS5 Pro<\/a>&#8216; sticker on the bottom of whatever footage or screenshots we get next &#8211; who knows? Regardless, there&#8217;s a part of me that&#8217;s surprised we didn&#8217;t see anything of the game at all last night. Or did we? After all, you just have to look at the release calendar to see GTA 6 everywhere.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>I&#8217;m going to start by addressing a game that Sony didn&#8217;t even deign to mention in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/june-2026-playstation-state-of-play-live-report\">last night&#8217;s PlayStation State of Play broadcast<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-everything-we-know-so-far-9357\">Grand Theft Auto 6<\/a>. Except, Sony <em>did<\/em> sort-of mention it, just in the margins of its showcase. From the very beginning, when it showed off Marvel&#8217;s Wolverine in a whirlwind of viscera and adamantium and reiterated its 15th September launch, to the final release date of the showcase &#8211; 24th September for Control Resonant &#8211; you could just about hear a silent klaxon blaring over PlayStation HQ: <em>Grand Theft Auto 6, Grand Theft Auto 6, Grand Theft Auto 6. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Any developer or publisher with an iota of business acumen is staying as far away from Rockstar&#8217;s 19th November impact crater as possible. Rightly so. But because of Take-Two&#8217;s reticence to commit to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-pre-order-release-date-leak\"> a hard GTA 6 date until really quite recently<\/a>, we&#8217;ve not seen many other games state their release dates in turn. So, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-release-date-reaffirmed\">as Take-Two big boss Strauss Zelnick does the rounds<\/a> to assure us all that date is set in stone, the calendar shuffles and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/fable-reboot-delayed-2027-amid-reported-gta-6-worries\">even triple-A bets like Fable scurry out of the way<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) - Official Trailer 2\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sQEGy86F2gE?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/sQEGy86F2gE\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) &#8211; Official Trailer 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>The guilty party.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sQEGy86F2gE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>What that means is showcases like State of Play &#8211; and, I&#8217;d wager, all of the other big shows this week &#8211; will do the same pantomime dance around release dates. September 2026 is already bewildering: The Blood of Dawnwalker on the 3rd, Marvel&#8217;s Wolverine on the 15th, Silent Hill Townfall and Control Resonant on the 24th, Onimusha Way of the Sword on the 25th. There  are more in October: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/rayman-legends\">Rayman Legends<\/a> Retold and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve were announced tonight, and they join Star Wars Galactic Racer on the 6th, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/planet-zoo\">Planet Zoo<\/a> 2 on the 13th, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on the 23rd, and Phantom Blade Zero (which caught a delay) on October 29th. And I&#8217;m only picking the <em>big <\/em>games here; there are plenty of promising double-A and indie titles peppered amongst the calendar chicanery.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>To put it simply: Q3 is going to be <em>a lot. <\/em>September and October are wall-to-wall. And the week is far from done. We still have the Geoffs (the Summer Game Fest showcase), the Xbox showcase, and a plethora of smaller ones to roll by. We are going to get <em>so many more release dates<\/em>, and I promise you now that few &#8211; if any &#8211; will dare step near November&#8217;s big, pulsing warning sign. But that just moves the problem, doesn&#8217;t it? In avoiding GTA, all these games end up fighting amongst themselves; people only have so much budget to spend on games&#8230; who can commit to buying that many titles in one month?<\/p>\n<p>November belongs to GTA 6 even if the game isn&#8217;t out until the 19th. Or maybe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/gothic-3\">Gothic 3<\/a> Classic on 24th November? You do you, lads. But it&#8217;s also December that belongs to GTA and January; the calendar is bare. Based on what we know so far, normalcy only resumes in February, as games like Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis poke their heads tentatively out of release date hibernation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"image_wrapper\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Franklin in GTA V on PC\" height=\"2160\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"3840\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Franklin in GTA V on PC\" data-autosize=\"bounds_lossy\" data-uri=\"grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg\" height=\"2160\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"3840\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"loading spinner large\"><\/span><\/p>\n<nav class=\"pagination--hoverable\">\n<div class=\"previous\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Previous\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style=\")\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"next\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Next\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style=\")\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"details_overlay\">\n<div class=\"counter\">\n<span class=\"current\">1<\/span> <span class=\"of\">of<\/span> <span class=\"max\">6<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"details\">\n<div class=\"button-wrapper\">\n<button aria-label=\"Toggle information\" class=\"toggle button outline\"><\/button><br \/>\n<button aria-label=\"Close fullscreen gallery\" class=\"close button\"><\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"thumbnails-wrapper overflow-shadow-x\">\n<div class=\"thumbnails\">\n<button class=\"thumbnail active\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar Games\" data-uri=\"grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Franklin in GTA V on PC\" height=\"2160\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"3840\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Franklin in GTA V on PC\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"grand-theft-auto-5s-latest-pc-screenshots-sure-are-a-looker-142748226146.jpg\" height=\"2160\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"3840\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar\" data-uri=\"Cal_Hampton_04_n4sKXlZ.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA 6&apos;s Jason and Cal Hampton in casual wear carrying duffle bags\" height=\"2160\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Cal_Hampton_04_n4sKXlZ.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"3840\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"GTA 6&apos;s Jason and Cal Hampton in casual wear carrying duffle bags\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"Cal_Hampton_04_n4sKXlZ.jpg\" height=\"2160\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"3840\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar\" data-uri=\"Lucia-in-GTA-6-using-a-punch-bag.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lucia in GTA 6 uses a punchbag. She has her hair scraped back and her fist raised\" height=\"703\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Lucia-in-GTA-6-using-a-punch-bag.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1249\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Lucia in GTA 6 uses a punchbag. She has her hair scraped back and her fist raised\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"Lucia-in-GTA-6-using-a-punch-bag.jpg\" height=\"703\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1249\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar\" data-uri=\"Boobie-Ike-in-GTA-6.webp\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Boobie Ike in GTA 6\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Boobie-Ike-in-GTA-6.webp?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Boobie Ike in GTA 6\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"Boobie-Ike-in-GTA-6.webp\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar\" data-uri=\"GTA-6&apos;s-Jason-aims-a-gun-with-a-bandana-scarf-covering-his-lower-face-and-yellow-rimmed-sunglasses-over-his-eyes.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA 6&apos;s Jason aims a gun with a bandana scarf covering his lower face and yellow rimmed sunglasses over his eyes\" height=\"806\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/GTA-6&apos;s-Jason-aims-a-gun-with-a-bandana-scarf-covering-his-lower-face-and-yellow-rimmed-sunglasses-over-his-eyes.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1433\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"GTA 6&apos;s Jason aims a gun with a bandana scarf covering his lower face and yellow rimmed sunglasses over his eyes\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"GTA-6&apos;s-Jason-aims-a-gun-with-a-bandana-scarf-covering-his-lower-face-and-yellow-rimmed-sunglasses-over-his-eyes.jpg\" height=\"806\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1433\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Rockstar Games\" data-uri=\"GTA-6_street-party.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A street party in Vice City in Grand Theft Auto 6\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/GTA-6_street-party.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A street party in Vice City in Grand Theft Auto 6\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"GTA-6_street-party.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fullscreen_info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nCaption          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"attribution\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nAttribution          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-gallery-caption\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"advert_container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>But that gets me thinking: what if a game <em>does<\/em> go up against GTA in November? What if some plucky publisher, probably Devolver, dared stare Goliath in the face and go against it? I don&#8217;t think 100 percent of the video game audience is going to play GTA 6 in the end, even if it&#8217;s liable to gross $1 billion in three days (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/grand-theft-auto-5-was-the-uks-biggest-video-game-launch-ever\">its predecessor did, after all<\/a>). Could one game, one brave soul, stand up to the Rockstar hegemony and come out better for it? Perhaps a goal will be left wide open for such a chancer.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Though, it is notable that we didn&#8217;t hear <em>anything<\/em> about GTA at all during Sony&#8217;s showcase. I know Rockstar defiantly does its own thing, showing trailers on its terms whenever it feels like it, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-rockstar-take-two-ps5-marketing-core-audience\">but PlayStation <em>does <\/em>have a marketing deal for GTA 6,<\/a> so however that materialises will be interesting to see. Maybe it&#8217;s just a &#8216;captured on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/topics\/ps5-pro\">PS5 Pro<\/a>&#8216; sticker on the bottom of whatever footage or screenshots we get next &#8211; who knows? Regardless, there&#8217;s a part of me that&#8217;s surprised we didn&#8217;t see anything of the game at all last night. Or did we? After all, you just have to look at the release calendar to see GTA 6 everywhere.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home Features Grand Theft Auto VI Grand Theft Auto 6 looms like a black hole in the release schedule, but is pushing everything into September the way to deal with it? Do you remember the 2100 games of September? Image credit: Rockstar \/ 2K \/ Eurogamer Feature by Dom Peppiatt Deputy Editorial Director Published on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1969699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1969699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969699\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1969699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1969699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1969699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}