Rockstar has announced that the release date for Grand Theft Auto V will be September 17th 2013, moving it around four months out of the original planned release window. The below message accommodated the news this morning:

Dear all,

Today, we have an official release date to share with you: Grand Theft Auto V will arrive in stores on September 17, 2013.

We know this is about four months later than originally planned and we know that this short delay will come as a disappointment to many of you, but, trust us, it will be worth the extra time. GTAV is a massively ambitious and complex game and it simply needs a little more polish to be of the standard we and, more importantly, you require.

To all Grand Theft Auto fans, please accept our apologies for the delay, and our promise that the entire team here is working very hard to make the game all it can be. We are doing all we can to help ensure it will meet if not exceed your expectations come September – we thank you for your support and patience.

Yours,
The GTA Team

Delays are always disappointing, more so if you've been listening to the rumored release dates being thrown about by numerous websites over the past month, but Rockstar wouldn't have made this huge decision if it wasn't necessary. Rockstar has had delays in the past, and they've been beneficial to the final game; at the end of the day, isn't having an amazing, polished game, the most important thing?

Please withhold any anger you have, and instead thank Rockstar for the massively exciting game you'll be playing come September 17th.