Grand Theft Auto 6 Could Be Skipping PC at Launch

Game ZXC

Grand Theft Auto 6

By Dominik Bošnjak

Published Dec 5, 2023

Highlights

Grand Theft Auto 6 may end up skipping PC at launch, as its official announcement only mentions the current-gen consoles.
Rockstar revealed GTA 6 a day ahead of schedule in response to its first trailer leaking online on December 4.
The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of GTA 6 are on course to hit the market in 2025.

Grand Theft Auto 6 could be skipping PC at launch, not least because its official announcement only mentions the current-generation consoles as its initial target platforms. As a reminder, Rockstar ended up revealing GTA 6 a day earlier than planned after the game's first trailer leaked online in its entirety on December 4.

Aside from confirming that the next mainline entry in the iconic franchise will mark the series' return to Vice City, the first GTA 6 trailer also introduced the game's two protagonists: Lucia and her apparent boyfriend, who is rumored to be called Jason. The 91-second video ended with the reveal that Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to hit the market sometime in 2025.

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Rockstar's subsequent press release reiterated that launch window, but only in the context of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Seeing how the studio made no mention of any other platforms, it would appear that GTA 6 could be skipping PC at launch. This development dovetails with a recent insider report suggesting the PC port of GTA 6 will lag behind the console versions. That claim comes from known Rockstar leaker Tez2, who took to social media in late October to reveal that the PC version of the highly-anticipated game is "more buggy" than its PlayStation and Xbox counterparts, suggesting it's further away from going gold.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Confirmed Launch Platforms

PlayStation 5
Xbox Series X/S

The possibility of GTA 6 skipping PC at launch is consistent with Rockstar's contemporary track record. Namely, the PC ports of all 3D entries in the Grand Theft Auto franchise were between 6 and 19 months behind their (first) console counterparts. The last mainline installment that was treated to a simultaneous multi-platform release was GTA 2, which launched almost a quarter of a century ago. In light of that context, and given the careful wording of the game's official announcement, it would appear that Grand Theft Auto 6 won't be breaking with this unpopular Rockstar tradition of delayed PC releases.

Mainline GTA Games Release Dates by Platform

Game	First Console Release	PC Release	Console-to-PC Gap
GTA	November 28, 1997	November 28, 1997	None
GTA 2	October 22, 1999	October 22, 1999	None
GTA 3	October 23, 2001	May 20, 2002	6 months and 27 days
GTA: Vice City	October 29, 2002	May 12, 2003	6 months and 13 days
GTA: San Andreas	October 26, 2004	June 7, 2005	7 months and 12 days
GTA 4	April 29, 2008	December 2, 2008	7 months and 3 days
GTA 5	September 17, 2013	April 14, 2015	1 year, 6 months, and 28 days
GTA 6	2025	TBA	TBA

Another cause for concern for PC gamers is that the gaps between the console and PC releases of the mainline GTA games have gradually gotten longer since the turn of the century. Specifically, the PC ports of the first two 3D entries in the franchise lagged around six and a half months on average behind their console versions. San Andreas and GTA 4 then upped that gap to seven months, while the PC version of GTA 5 was more than 18 months behind the PS3 and Xbox 360 originals.

Granted, the 2013 title was released at the tail end of the seventh console generation, with Rockstar subsequently prioritizing its next-gen ports over the PC version. No such thing should happen with GTA 6, which is poised to arrive during the middle stretch of the ninth console generation. As for when exactly it might hit the market, some fans believe that one GTA Online Easter egg pointed to an April 2025 release for GTA 6. Meanwhile, Take-Two's recent financial reports suggested that a Q1 2025 launch is more likely.