Take-Two CEO wants GTA 6 to be 'the most spectacular piece of entertainment on Earth, in history'

Zelnick is "terrified" of launch

by · TechRadar

News By Demi Williams published 30 April 2026

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

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  • Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says he's "terrified" of Grand Theft Auto 6's release
  • He says Take-Two is focused on delivering "the most spectacular piece of entertainment on Earth, in history"
  • He also jokes that many people will call in sick to work when the game launches

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has discussed the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto 6 and admitted that he is "terrified."

At the iiCon conference for video game executives this week (via IGN), Zelnick spoke at length about GTA 6's upcoming launch later this year and addressed the ongoing speculation surrounding the game's price.

GTA 6 is possibly the most hotly anticipated game of all time, so there's no doubt that the release period will be massive. However, while fans are excited, Zelnick confessed that he's "terrified" of the question of how to measure the success of GTA 6.

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GTA 5, which launched back in 2013, has now sold more than 215 million copies as of May 2025. In February 2025, the milestone was at 210 million units, meaning the game sold an additional five million copies over three months. That's an absurd amount of copies for a 10-year-old game.

Rockstar's 2018 hit, Red Dead Redemption 2, also sold over 79 million units as of November 2025, making it the fourth best-selling game of all time.

GTA 6 has some big shoes to fill. But for now, Take-Two and Rockstar Games are focused on delivering one of the best games of all time.

"What we think about is making the most spectacular piece of entertainment on Earth, in history – and it’s a pretty daunting challenge," Zelnick said.

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