By What an incredible year it could potentially become for Microsoft!
- by Ben Kerry
The elephant has finally been lured and escorted out of the space; GTA 6 has been postponed to May 2026. This decision felt like an eventuality for many months, particularly given the lack of a definitive 2025 launch date or even a sequel trailer to Rockstar’s 2023 introductory attempt. Nonetheless, the announcement has finally arrived—allowing Xbox to truly begin strategizing its fall 2025 lineup.
At this point, we know that the team has The Outer Worlds 2 scheduled for later this year, with the Obsidian game expected to make a major appearance during an Xbox Direct Showcase this summer. Even setting aside other possible Xbox launches for later this year, TOW2 will gain from the timely shift created by the delay of GTA 6. The Rockstar franchise tends to overshadow everything else, and with that title now pushed to next May, The Outer Worlds 2 will naturally gain more attention.
However, we can’t claim that this is the aspect that excites us the most regarding the delay… not quite. We are still anticipating a few additional significant Xbox games to release this fall—and today’s announcement may have granted Microsoft a boost of confidence to expedite the release of some of them. Gears of War: E-Day has been speculated for this year on several occasions, though a 2026 launch has also been mentioned. Could GTA 6’s postponement provide Xbox the motivation to ensure Gears releases this year? If the game is ready, we’d absolutely love to dive into a new Gears of War title this fall.
We recognize that the development landscape has evolved significantly this generation, but if the team at The Coalition aims to mirror their previous release patterns, fall 2025 does seem feasible. Gears of War 4 was unveiled in summer 2015, followed by its launch the subsequent fall, while Gears 5 followed a similar pathway in 2018 / 2019 – and E-Day was announced last summer. The long road home hints at a new Gears game potentially launching later this year, if we are fortunate (extra points for the Gears fans who understand that reference).
Moreover, there’s certainly another element in play, almost as predictable as Rockstar’s GTA 6 delay—a new Call of Duty installment is on the horizon for this year. Although this hasn’t been formally disclosed by Xbox, it’s indeed forthcoming, and may actually emerge as the title that gains the greatest advantage from this GTA shift. There’s considerable overlap between the audiences for GTA and COD, and following a 12-year hiatus, it’s a safe bet that if players had to select one, they’d opt for GTA 6 this year. This dilemma is no longer an obstacle—suggesting that COD 2025 will once again experience a smooth launch with Microsoft.
Before we pass this discussion over to you in the comments, we have to emphasize that none of this is set in stone at this moment—indeed, Xbox hasn’t even revealed the complete release date for The Outer Worlds 2 yet, let alone anything else. But whatever unfolds, you can be sure that Xbox’s fall 2025 roster will greatly benefit from GTA 6 being rescheduled to May 2026—and it’s possible there is some quiet celebration taking place over at Microsoft HQ as they plan the remainder of Xbox’s 2025 timeline.
Are you pleased to see GTA 6 rescheduled and officially dated? What would you like to see Xbox accomplish this fall? Share your thoughts with us below.
Ben is a News Writer at Pure Xbox and has a passion for action, racing, and intense shooting in every Xbox game he can get his hands on. When he’s not gripping an Xbox controller as if it’s a lifeline, Ben enjoys listening to music that is surprisingly old for him, watching football on TV, and likely dining somewhere.