Technologies

Bad News, Gamers: GTA 6 Delayed to 2026

The much-anticipated Rockstar Games sequel won’t hit consoles until next year, later than the fall 2025 release fans were expecting.

The biggest videogame release of 2025 is now the biggest game release of 2026, at the earliest.

Grand Theft Auto 6, which was expected to be released in the fall, has been pushed back to May 26, 2026, a delay that the game’s developers said would allow them «to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.»

In a blog post on the Rockstar Games website, the team said:

Hi everyone,

Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026.

We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.

With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.

We look forward to sharing more information with you soon.

Sincerely,
Rockstar Games

While the game studio has released online content, game missions and other content around the series, the last GTA game launch was in 2013, when Grand Theft Auto 5 debuted. It went on to sell 210 million copies, making it one of the most successful videogames of all time, just behind Minecraft and Tetris.

The new game, which will come to the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X and S, was kept secret until 2022, when the studio announced it was working on the Grand Theft Auto 6. In late 2023, the studio released the first trailer for the game.

Technologies

Apple Released iOS 18.5 RC, and It Includes a Few Small iPhone Changes

Apple could release the update to the public as early as next week.

Apple debuted the iOS 18.5 release candidate on May 6, more than a month after the company released iOS 18.4 to the general public. While that update brought more emoji to all iPhones, the RC brings a few small changes and a new Pride wallpaper. Because the latest release is the RC, Apple could release the update to the general public as early as next week.

Read more: An Expert’s Guide to iOS 18

Since the RC isn’t necessarily the final version of iOS 18.5, I recommend downloading it on something other than your primary device. The update might be buggy, and battery life may be affected, so it’s best to keep those troubles on a secondary phone.

Also, since the RC is not the final version, adjustments could land on your iPhone when the update is released. There’s no word on when Apple will release the iOS 18.5update to the general public, but it’s usually a week after the RC comes out.

Here’s what could appear on your iPhone with iOS 18.5. (Just a reminder: Only developers and beta testers with an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence for now. If you have any other iPhone, you won’t have access to those features.)

New Pride wallpaper

Every year, Apple comes out with a new Pride wallpaper ahead of Pride Month, and this year is no different. The iOS 18.5 RC includes the latest iteration of the wallpaper, called «Pride Harmony,» which features bold stripes that shift and change position as you move.

iOS 18.5 tweaks Mail options

Apple introduced a few Mail app updates in the iOS 18.5 RC. One of those updates makes it easier to adjust the app’s settings by showing or hiding contact photos in Mail. Contact photos are the images to the left of emails that help identify senders.

Mail will show Contact Posters by default, but you can turn them off from within the app with the iOS 18.5 RC. To do so, open Mail, tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of your screen and tap Show Contact Photos. Now, all your emails will just show the subject line and a preview of the message, similar to how Mail looked before iOS 18.

This option is in iOS 18.4, but it’s buried in Settings and not easy to locate.

Another update concerns Categories. If the mode is enabled, you can see a small tab on the right side of your screen near the other categories. Swipe the categories bar near the top of Mail to the left, and this small tab will expand to reveal the category All Mail.

This category isn’t new; you can find it in iOS 18.4. But, there was no small tab on the right side of your screen to signal it was present off-screen. Therefore, All Mail flew under the radar — I didn’t even know the option was there until this beta.

This category appears to be a way to simultaneously enable Categories and List View — the pre-Categories view of Mail. By tapping All Mail, you’re viewing your messages without any categorization, like in List View.

Back Tap banner

The iOS 18.5 RC also introduces the option to display a banner using the Back Tap function. Back Tap turns the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone into a usable button that can open your camera, take a screenshot and more when you double or triple tap it. And with the iOS 18.5 RC, you can make your iPhone display a banner whenever you use Back Tap.

To enable the banner, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap and tap the toggle next to Show Banner. If you enable the banner and use Back Tap, the banner will appear across the top of your screen and read, «Back Tap Double/Triple Tap detected.»

iOS 18.5 RC release notes

Here are the full release notes for the iOS 18.5 RC.

This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

A new Pride Harmony wallpaper.
Parents now receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child’s device.
Buy with iPhone is available when purchasing content within the Apple TV app on a third-party device.
Fixes an issue where the Apple Vision Pro app may display a black screen.
Support for carrier-provided satellite features is available on iPhone 13 (all models). For more information visit: https://support.apple.com/122339.

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:

https://support.apple.com/100100

Anything else in the beta?

Not that I can tell, and I’m not surprised. Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference is set to happen in June, so iOS 18.5 will likely remain sparse on features so Apple can focus on iOS 19.

There might be another RC before iOS 18.5 is released to the public, but I wouldn’t expect to see any other new features in the upcoming update. Apple has not announced when it will release iOS 18.5 to the general public, but it could be as early as next week.

For more on iOS 18, here’s what you need to know about iOS 18.4.1 and all the latest features in iOS 18.4. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet.

Technologies

How to Follow the Real Papal Conclave Beginning Wednesday

The Vatican is streaming live views of St. Peter’s Square on its YouTube channel, NBC offers a «smoke cam,» and CNN created a 3D visualization.

Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88, has been laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. Now, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church begin voting Wednesday for a successor in an assembly known as a conclave. Only cardinals younger than 80 years old are allowed to vote in a papal election. While 135 cardinals come in under the age requirement of 80 and thus are eligible to vote, two withdrew from the voting for health reasons, so 133 will vote.

The word «conclave» is familiar to many non-Catholics now thanks to the Hollywood feature film Conclave, which was released in 2024 and is available to watch on streaming services.

Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope

How to follow the conclave

There’s no way to watch the real papal conclave, as it’s conducted inside the walls of the Sistine Chapel and is private. The movie, while entertaining and well-reviewed, is a fictional version. But the major news networks will be covering any news about the event.

Perhaps the most interesting way to follow along is to tune in to the Vatican’s own YouTube channel, which is streaming a live webcam from St. Peter’s Square in Rome, the large public square outside the Vatican buildings.

The news networks are also creating innovative ways for people to follow the conclave. NBC News is offering a smoke cam, a webcam focused on the Sistine Chapel chimney where white smoke will eventually reveal when a pope has been chosen.

CNN has created a 3D visualization of what the conclave will look like.

USA Today has set up a YouTube channel to stream coverage of the conclave, beginning from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET (3 a.m. to 6 a.m. PT) on Wednesday.

CBS will broadcast a special report on the conclave anchored by Norah O’Donnell and Tony Dokoupil, beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

Who are the contenders?

Several cardinals are considered potential strong candidates for the papacy. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Italy is noted for his diplomatic efforts and alignment with Pope Francis’ vision. Cardinal Luis Tagle from the Philippines is also a prominent figure, recognized for his advocacy for social justice and poverty alleviation. And Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana is being discussed as a possible first African pope in the modern era.

Look for the white smoke

After the cardinals vote and their ballots are counted, the ballots are burned, and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, chemicals will be added to the flames to produce white smoke. Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square to watch for the results.

In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

The voting takes as long as it takes

Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors, and the vote tally is never made public.

The conclave can take days or even weeks to conclude. Although in the 13th century, it reportedly took three years to choose a pope, modern conclaves have been much shorter. Pope Francis was elected in 2013 on the fifth ballot on the second day of the conclave.

There can only be two rounds of voting per day, and a candidate needs two-thirds of the votes, plus one to be elected. If that majority isn’t reached after three days of voting, the process pauses so the cardinals can pray and discuss their options, CBS News reports.

No, Trump will not be pope

Any man who is a baptized Catholic can technically be elected pope, but in reality, the next pope is chosen from the College of Cardinals. Cardinals are senior members of the clergy and are selected by the pope to serve as advisors to him.

Days before Pope Francis’ funeral, US President Donald Trump told reporters, apparently jokingly, «I’d like to be pope.» But as a non-Catholic, Trump is not eligible to be pope.

Trump also shared an AI-generated image of himself as pope on his Truth Social social media site last week. The official White House account reposted the image on X. Many did not find the image funny.

«We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter,» the New York State Catholic Conference wrote on X. «Do not mock us.»

Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, wrote on X that he was OK with the image of Trump as pope. Vance was not raised Catholic but was baptized into the faith in 2019. «As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes,» Vance wrote.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for May 7, #1418

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,418 for May 7.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle isn’t super difficult, but it will likely have you humming and singing a certain catchy tune all day long after you solve it. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.