In short
- GTA 6 launches on Thursday 19 November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- Fortnite launched the rare Pirate Shop token three weeks before, which can make the Item Shop free for 14 days.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 came out on 23 October, nearly a month before GTA 6.
- Lords of the Fallen II, Squadron 42 and Fable have all moved into 2027, but only some have blamed GTA 6.
GTA 6 is the biggest game launch in years, and the rest of the games industry is planning around it. Some games are giving players reasons to stay, some launched early, and plenty have moved out of the way. Here are the games competing with GTA 6, and what each company has actually said.
Fortnite: the Pirate Shop token
Fortnite's answer looks like free stuff. The Treasure Hunters season started on 1 November with the Pirate Shop token, a very rare chest reward that lets you claim anything sold for V-Bucks in the Item Shop for free for 14 days, once in 2026 and once in 2027.
GameSpot called it "Fortnite's Plan To Survive GTA 6". It worked straight away: HYPEX posted that Fortnite hit nearly 5 million players at once on launch day, as Push Square reports.
Epic hasn't said the Pirate Shop has anything to do with GTA 6. That link comes from journalists and players. But Fortnite also has weekly Captain's Days, Treasure Hours Sundays and Mastery Mondays running right through GTA 6's launch, so there's always a reason to log in. You can read how to get the Pirate Shop token in our guide.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
Modern Warfare 4 came out on 23 October, according to Activision's announcement reported by MP1st. That gave it nearly a month on sale before GTA 6.
It's set on the Korean Peninsula and is the first Call of Duty on Nintendo Switch 2 at launch. Activision hasn't linked the date to GTA 6, and Call of Duty usually launches in October or November anyway.
Forza Horizon 6
Forza Horizon 6 came out on 19 May on Xbox and PC, with PS5 later in 2026. Horizon games normally launch in the autumn, which is why many people think Microsoft moved it away from GTA 6.
Microsoft has never said so, as GTA Boom points out.
Lords of the Fallen II
Lords of the Fallen II moved from autumn 2026 to early 2027. CI Games said the new window keeps it "outside of a highly competitive holiday release period", PC Gamer reports.
CI Games didn't name GTA 6, but it's clear what that "competitive" period means. It also said the extra time would go on polish.
Valor Mortis
Valor Mortis moved from 24 September to 13 October, Gematsu reports. Publisher Lyrical Games said September was too crowded.
That crowd was there because so many games were avoiding November. Game File reports that the publisher moved the date as soon as Control Resonant was announced for the same day.
Squadron 42, Fable and Danganronpa 2×2
Three more games moved into 2027, according to Shattered:
| Game | New date | Did they blame GTA 6? |
|---|---|---|
| Squadron 42 | April to June 2027 | Yes. Chris Roberts said he wouldn't launch into GTA 6's "attention buzz saw" |
| Fable | 23 February 2027 | No. Xbox talked about a "dedicated release window" |
| Danganronpa 2×2 | 14 January 2027 | No reason given |
Squadron 42 is the only game we found where the company said GTA 6 was the reason.
Which games are launching the same day as GTA 6?
A few smaller games are launching against GTA 6 on purpose:
- Volvy's Adventure: Reslimed, from Devolver Digital, launches on Steam on 19 November, the same day as GTA 6. Devolver has joked about this for over a year, and the "remaster of a game that never existed" is part of the gag, Engadget reports.
- The Binding of Isaac: Repentance+ Online also launches on 19 November.
- Barbie Rewind launches on 12 November, aimed at players who aren't buying GTA 6.
GTA 6 isn't on PC at launch, which leaves Steam open for games like these.
What is PlayStation doing?
PlayStation is working with GTA 6, not against it. If you buy the digital Standard or Ultimate Edition by 19 November, you get one month of the GTA+ tier of PlayStation Plus, according to PlayStation's offer terms.
What we don't know yet
- Whether Epic planned the Pirate Shop around GTA 6. It hasn't said.
- Whether Fortnite keeps its player numbers after 19 November.
- Whether Epic adds more events in GTA 6's launch week, like the Pirate Shop Power Hours HYPEX has leaked.
FAQ
When does GTA 6 come out?
Thursday 19 November 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. There's no PC date yet.
Is Fortnite's Pirate Shop because of GTA 6?
Epic hasn't said so. GameSpot and others have linked the two because the Pirate Shop launched three weeks before GTA 6.
Which games were delayed because of GTA 6?
Squadron 42's makers said GTA 6 was the reason. Lords of the Fallen II avoided the "highly competitive holiday release period". Others, like Fable, moved without naming GTA 6.
What games come out the same day as GTA 6?
Volvy's Adventure: Reslimed and The Binding of Isaac: Repentance+ Online both launch on 19 November.
Read next
- How to get the Pirate Shop token in Fortnite
- What is dev hour in Fortnite? The GTA 6 theory
- How rare is the Fortnite Pirate token?
We'll update this story as more games react to GTA 6's launch.