There's one reason video game publishers aren't announcing games for 2026
It could be a quiet year for every publisher apart from one
The video game industry is booming, and while the likes of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League reportedly lost Warner Bros.
Games $200 million alongside the rumored $400 million flop of Concord being held as one of the biggest gaming blunders of all time, others are soaring.
Call of Duty looks to be back on top as Black Ops 6 became one of the franchise's best-selling entries, Helldivers II has been a surprise hit for PlayStation, and Konami's long-awaited Silent Hill 2 proves we're still ravenous for remakes.
Although publishers and gamers alike have already penciled in major releases for 2025, you might notice that things are a little quiet in 2026.
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We're praying for our bank balances in 2025, as Doom: The Dark Ages, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Death Stranding 2 are just some of the releases threatening to bankrupt us.
Oh, and you might've heard of a little game called Grand Theft Auto 6.
It's been 11 years since Rockstar Games released its last mainline GTA, and with that going on to make an estimated $9 billion in revenue (thanks mainly to the ongoing success of GTA Online), it's the most profitable entertainment product of all time.
There are equally high hopes GTA 6 can topple its bigger brother, and considering it's already breaking records on X and YouTube, there's a real chance it can.
As suggested by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, other developers are rightly scared by GTA 6, meaning they aren't locking in release dates for their own games.
Despite parent company Take-Two Interactive reiterating that GTA 6 is coming in 'fall 2025', Schreier claims that 'some competing game publishers' are refusing to announce their release dates until GTA 6 has a firm one.
Even then, fears that GTA 6 could go full Cyberpunk 2077 and be hit by several delays have publishers wary of a slip well into 2026. Basically, you'd be foolish to launch your game anywhere near GTA 6.
It's not that no games are coming in 2026, but looking at the calendar, only Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake and The Elder Scrolls 6 are on the horizon. With the latter having the potential to be as big as GTA 6 thanks to the record-breaking success of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Rockstar and Bethesda would be wise to put as much distance between them as possible.
We've already been warned that GTA 6 won't be released until it's ready, as Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told GamesRadar: "We're seeking perfection, and when we feel we've optimized creatively, that's the time to release."
Zelnick has also hinted that Schreir is right, saying that another big Take-Two title of Borderlands 4 won't be released anywhere GTA 6 the publisher doesn’t 'stack' big releases. If even Take-Two is scared of its own game, what hope does anyone else have?