Why GTA 6 will release on PC but likely not on launch day

GTA 6 has a strong chance of releasing on PC, and Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has already hinted at it. While retailers are launching their own GTA 6 preorders and possibly leaking the game's price, fans are speculating about everything—from the game’s lighting to whether John Cena is involved, and even going as far as creating fake guidebooks for GTA 6. But the biggest unanswered question remains: Will GTA 6 come to PC? So far, the game has only been officially confirmed for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Image via Rockstar Games Why a GTA 6 PC version is all but confirmed When asked about a possible GTA 6 PC version earlier this year, Take-Two's CEO said the company releases its games on additional platforms later, focusing on consoles first, then release them on other platforms later. While he didn’t explicitly confirm a PC release, there really aren’t any other platforms for GTA 6 to land on, especially since the Nintendo Switch never even got GTA 5. That makes it highly unlikely that the Nintendo Switch 2 would get GTA 6, meaning the only realistic "other platform" would be PC. Whether it eventually arrives on Steam, the Epic Games Store, or a cloud service like GeForce Now, GTA 6 is almost certainly coming to PC—it’s just a matter of when. Of course, this assumes Rockstar won’t release a mobile version of GTA 6, similar to how GTA 5 never had a mobile port. A mobile adaptation, if it ever happens, would likely be something completely different from the console and PC versions. But here's why a GTA 6 PC version likely won't be ready by Fall 2025 That said, Rockstar has a long history of delaying PC releases for their biggest games. Both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 launched on consoles first, with PC versions following much later. GTA 5 released on Windows 18 months after its PS3 and Xbox 360 launch, while Red Dead Redemption 2's PC port was slightly quicker to arrive and came out 13 months after the PS4 and Xbox One release. A former Rockstar developer hinted that this delayed release is strategical—Rockstar prioritizes launching games on the platforms that generate the most sales first, then works on PC ports later. So, it's already expected that GTA 6 will launch first in Fall 2025 for PlayStation and Xbox, with a likely PC release sometime between late 2026 and early 2027. Another big reason Rockstar is almost guaranteed to bring GTA 6 to PC is GTA Online. The PC version of the title has an entire ecosystem of mods and third-party role-playing servers that have kept the game alive for years. Since Rockstar acquired Cfx.re, the team behind FiveM, a major force in GTA Online’s modding community, it’s unlikely they would abandon this part of their business when launching a new game. Instead, it makes far more sense for them to build on that success and bring GTA 6 to PC when the time is right. The post Why GTA 6 will release on PC but likely not on launch day appeared first on Destructoid.

Mar 13, 2025 - 18:47

Why GTA 6 will release on PC but likely not on launch day

GTA 6 has a strong chance of releasing on PC, and Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has already hinted at it.

While retailers are launching their own GTA 6 preorders and possibly leaking the game's price, fans are speculating about everything—from the game’s lighting to whether John Cena is involved, and even going as far as creating fake guidebooks for GTA 6.

But the biggest unanswered question remains: Will GTA 6 come to PC? So far, the game has only been officially confirmed for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

An image of main characters in GTA 6. — Image via Rockstar Games

Why a GTA 6 PC version is all but confirmed

When asked about a possible GTA 6 PC version earlier this year, Take-Two's CEO said the company releases its games on additional platforms later, focusing on consoles first, then release them on other platforms later.

While he didn’t explicitly confirm a PC release, there really aren’t any other platforms for GTA 6 to land on, especially since the Nintendo Switch never even got GTA 5. That makes it highly unlikely that the Nintendo Switch 2 would get GTA 6, meaning the only realistic "other platform" would be PC.

Whether it eventually arrives on Steam, the Epic Games Store, or a cloud service like GeForce Now, GTA 6 is almost certainly coming to PC—it’s just a matter of when. Of course, this assumes Rockstar won’t release a mobile version of GTA 6, similar to how GTA 5 never had a mobile port. A mobile adaptation, if it ever happens, would likely be something completely different from the console and PC versions.

But here's why a GTA 6 PC version likely won't be ready by Fall 2025

That said, Rockstar has a long history of delaying PC releases for their biggest games. Both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 launched on consoles first, with PC versions following much later.

GTA 5 released on Windows 18 months after its PS3 and Xbox 360 launch, while Red Dead Redemption 2's PC port was slightly quicker to arrive and came out 13 months after the PS4 and Xbox One release.

A former Rockstar developer hinted that this delayed release is strategical—Rockstar prioritizes launching games on the platforms that generate the most sales first, then works on PC ports later. So, it's already expected that GTA 6 will launch first in Fall 2025 for PlayStation and Xbox, with a likely PC release sometime between late 2026 and early 2027.

Another big reason Rockstar is almost guaranteed to bring GTA 6 to PC is GTA Online. The PC version of the title has an entire ecosystem of mods and third-party role-playing servers that have kept the game alive for years.

Since Rockstar acquired Cfx.re, the team behind FiveM, a major force in GTA Online’s modding community, it’s unlikely they would abandon this part of their business when launching a new game. Instead, it makes far more sense for them to build on that success and bring GTA 6 to PC when the time is right.

The post Why GTA 6 will release on PC but likely not on launch day appeared first on Destructoid.