The creative team behind the popular Grand Theft Auto videogame series postponed the launch of the latest instalment by several months to May 2026, hitting shares of parent Take-Two Interactive.

Grand Theft Auto VI was originally due to be released later this year, with a trailer having shown that it would be set in a Miami-like Vice City and would feature a playable female protagonist for the first time.

“We are very sorry that this is later than you expected,” publisher Rockstar Games said in a statement.

“With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception,” it said.

“We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.”

Its predecessor, GTA V, was released in 2013 and sold more than 200 million copies.

Strauss Zelnick, chief executive of Take-Two, supported the move in a statement released by the parent company.

“While we take the movement of our titles seriously and appreciate the vast and deep global anticipation for Grand Theft Auto VI, we remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence,” Zelnick said.

The first trailer for GTA VI appeared in December 2023 and has been seen more than 250m times on Rockstar’s YouTube channel.

Set to the Tom Petty song “Love Is A Long Road,” it opens with a female character named Lucia being released from prison in what appears to be a fictionalised version of Florida.

Near the close of the one-minute-and-30-second clip, she tells her male partner in crime: “The only way we are going to get through this is by sticking together, being a team.”

The pair go on to burst into a store with pistols drawn and bandanas covering the lower halves of their faces.

Fans saw the scene as confirmation that rumours of a “Bonnie and Clyde” type crime couple are coming true.

Along with its wild success, the GTA series has faced criticism over its violent content.

Critics have from the beginning accused Grand Theft Auto of glorifying violence and encouraging players to engage in criminal behaviour — allegations rejected by New York-based Take-Two Interactive.

GTA players sell drugs, fight, rob, go on car rampages and more. Gameplay options also included assaulting sex workers and going to strip clubs, raising the ire of activists.