By Nate Wolf

Finally! The long and tumultuous wait for Grand Theft Auto VI, the latest installment in the satirical, hyperviolent videogame series, is almost over.

Preorders for GTA VI will begin Thursday, June 25 ahead of the game's official release in November, publisher Rockstar Games said Thursday. That is good news for investors in Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive Software, who have been banking on an infusion of GTA VI sales for years.

Take-Two stock surged 4.6% on Thursday. The stock is down 6.9% this year and about flat over the last 12 months.

GTA VI delays have become the stuff of legend. The newest game was first supposed to be available last fall before Take-Two pushed the release to May 2026, and, most recently, to Nov. 19. The last GTA installment came out in 2013, so to say fans are eager for VI -- which will be set in a fictional depiction of Miami called Vice City -- is an understatement.

And make no mistake, GTA has plenty of fans. Analysts tracked by FactSet expect Take-Two to post $8.6 billion in revenue this fiscal year, which ends next March, up 27% from fiscal 2026.

Car-parts retailer Burger Motorsports even announced in a social media post last week that it would close on the GTA VI release date in November in recognition of "this unprecedented cultural event."

Preorder results should give Take-Two investors a sense of whether GTA VI will live up to the relentless hype.

Write to Nate Wolf at nate.wolf@barrons.com

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 18, 2026 12:03 ET (16:03 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.