Retailers know that GTA 6 is going to be the biggest entertainment launch of the decade, and they don't need Rockstar to tell them that. They're making their own moves, and we're only going to see more of it once the official campaign kicks off this summer.
If you were around for the launch of GTA V in September 2013, you know what a Rockstar release does to the entire video game industry.
Over 1,000 stores in the UK alone opened at midnight for GTA V's launch. In the United States, GameStop, Best Buy, and Walmart all held midnight or early morning events. The demand was so intense that a man in North London was stabbed and robbed for his copy after leaving an Asda midnight launch, while in New York, three men were arrested for impersonating police officers to cut the line at a GameStop.
History repeated itself with Red Dead Redemption 2 in October 2018. GameStop, Best Buy, and Target all moved their sales up to 9 PM the night before launch. GameStop offered $100 off any Xbox One console with an RDR2 purchase, while Sony's PS4 Pro RDR2 bundle at $399.99 became one of the hottest holiday items that year.
Retailers understood then what they understand now: that a Rockstar launch is a cultural event everyone wants a piece of.
What makes GTA 6 different from anything that came before is the sheer scale of anticipation. Zelnick confirmed during Take-Two's Q3 FY2026 earnings call that marketing would begin this summer, calling it "a huge departure" from his usual reluctance to commit to timelines.
For context, GTA V's total budget was around $265 million. Red Dead Redemption 2 was somewhere in the $500 to $600 million range. GTA 6 has dwarfed both, and that's before a single official ad has run.
Once the official campaign starts, every major retailer on the planet is going to want in. Sony is widely expected to announce a PS5 Pro GTA 6 bundle, following the pattern of its marketing deal that has been all but confirmed since GTA 6's second trailer was tagged "Captured on PS5." We should also expect limited-edition console designs, retailer-exclusive bonus content, midnight launch events (or, more likely, early evening launches), and enough promotional merchandise to fill an entire GameStop.
And this is all happening when there's the elephant in the room: Rockstar delaying GTA 6 twice. First from Fall 2025 to May 26, 2026, and then again to November 19, 2026. As much as Zelnick insists the date is locked in, the gaming community has been burned before. Imagine having a baby for a copy of GTA 6 and then finding out the release got pushed to 2027. That would be very on-brand for Rockstar, honestly.
The bigger picture here is that GTA 6 isn't just a video game launch anymore. It's a retail event, a marketing opportunity, and a cultural moment all rolled into one. When even Microsoft is rearranging its entire 2026 release calendar to avoid competing with Rockstar, you know the gravity of this thing is on another level.
So what we're saying is that this is just the start. Expect more stunts. Expect more giveaways. Expect console bundles, collector's editions, branded energy drinks, custom controllers, and promotional partnerships that nobody asked for but everyone will talk about. The GTA 6 retail circus is about to begin, and Rockstar hasn't even shown up at the tent yet.
