Both Borderlands and GTA are published under Take-Two Interactive's umbrella, making any schedule adjustments potentially significant. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick previously stated that the company "wouldn't, and no one would, stack up huge releases unnecessarily," a comment that seems increasingly relevant with any calendar change.
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has emphatically denied any connection between the date change and the release windows of other games.
"Borderlands 4 shipping early is 100% the result of confidence in the game and development trajectory backed by actual tasks and bug find/fix rates," Pitchford stated on X (formerly Twitter). "Our decision is literally 0% about any other product's actual or theoretical launch date."
Despite these assured denials, many within the gaming community remain unconvinced, and with good reason. First, Take-Two publishes both franchises and would logically stagger their releases. Second, GTA 6 is currently targeting a fall release, and Take-Two would hope to avoid a potential overlap. Third, PlayStation is expected to be GTA 6's chief marketing partner, and this would give Sony insight into Rockstar's timeline.
The decision to move Borderlands 4 earlier creates a clearer runway for what many suspect could be an October or November GTA 6 launch. As one of the most anticipated games in history, Rockstar's open-world juggernaut will almost certainly overshadow any title releasing in close proximity.
It's worth mentioning that this isn't the only Take-Two game generating release window theories. Mafia: The Old Country's "mid-2025" window also factors into this puzzle, as many fans are wondering if Take-Two is carefully spacing its major releases throughout 2025 to maximize each title's impact.
With Mafia positioned for summer, Borderlands 4 now in early September, and PlayStation's Ghost of Yotei landing on October 2, the pieces seem to be arranging themselves around an unannounced, but increasingly anticipated, late 2025 GTA 6 release.
Though Pitchford's tweet was aimed at quelling any speculation, the detective work conducted by the GTA community cannot be easily stopped. With Borderlands 4 set for a State of Play showcase later today, fans will be watching closely for any additional clues about Take-Two's release strategy.
