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After months of speculations and predictions, GTA 6 is finally coming in 2025. The scheduled time is still set as Fall 2025. But one threat is still haunting the gaming community, especially the PC gamers.
Currently, the gaming community is eagerly looking forward to knowing the exact release date of Grand Theft Auto 6, but a question still remains: Will GTA 6 be available on PC at launch, or will PC gamers have to wait longer? Rockstar Games has a history of prioritizing console launches before rolling out PC versions. Considering this, the anxiety of PC gamers doesn't seem baseless at all.
Before going forward and analyzing the possibilities of GTA 6 coming on PC at launch, let’s go through Rockstar's previous major titles to see the general release strategy:
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5): GTA 5 is one of the most successful GTA titles ever launched by Rockstar Games. So, let’s start with this example. Initially, GTA 5 was launched on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in September 2013. After one year, in November 2014, the title saw a subsequent release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Notably, the PC version of GTA 5 was particularly delayed, and after 19 months of its initial release, in April 2015, PC gamers received access.
Red Dead Redemption 2: This is another best-selling Rockstar title that has the same release strategy in recent times. First, Red Dead Redemption 2 was launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in October 2018. More than a year after the initial release, the PC version was rolled out in November 2019.
These are the most prominent examples that highlight Rockstar's tendency to prioritize console releases, with PC versions following later.
As of now, Rockstar Games doesn’t state much about the game or the release date or platforms. Mostly, players have been speculating based on some official statements and the trend of Rockstar’s game releases. At the point of writing, the developer has confirmed that GTA 6 is scheduled for a fall 2025 release on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. There’s no mention of PC, which has aroused the question of its release on PC at launch.
Examining the trend, industry insiders suggest that the PC version of GTA 6 will see a further delay of one year after the console launch. According to them, the PC release will potentially take place in late 2026. Generally, Rockstar takes this strategy to identify the issues that players point out after the console launch and bring the PC version with everything fixed.
This is the burning question circulating in the Grand Theft Auto community, and everyone’s looking for an answer. No matter how perfect the game becomes when it comes to PC, the initial excitement won’t be the same after one year. So, it is logical that everyone wants the game at launch, especially when PC gaming is progressing at a great speed.
In a recent interview, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, admitted this fact. Recently, Civilization 7 was released by Take-Two’s 2K gaming division, and this game was released on all the platforms on day one. So, while talking about the platform release of this game, Zelnick mentioned, “We have seen PC become a much more and more important part of what used to be a console business, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that trend continue."
This may be a hint for GTA gamers that GTA 6 will follow the same trend and will be out on all the platforms, including PC, at launch. However, during the interview, he also noted that “Historically, Rockstar has started with some platforms and then historically moved to other platforms.” Therefore, GTA 6, to become an exception, can’t be completely omitted. Specifically, in this growing PC gaming era, whether Rockstar will be willing to miss revenues from PC gamers is a big question.
With almost nothing at hand, it is impossible to say whether GTA 6 will launch on PC or not. Whether Rockstar Games will follow the same release strategy or will go for what Civilization 7 did is unsure. While speculations say the game will come on PC a year after its initial launch on consoles, only Rockstar can confirm what’s really going to happen.
