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Uncertainty About Grand Theft Auto 6 on PC

Rockstar Games isn't prioritizing PC gamers
by Tit Krajnik on December 13, 2023   

After years of waiting, the Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer finally arrived, announcing a broad release date for the game. However, in the announcement, there is no mention of a PC version. Even though it's more than fair to assume that there will be a PC release for GTA 6, there are reasons why Rockstar Games decided to postpone it.

The announcement trailer for GTA 6 unveiled the return of Vice City, the two lead characters, and the 2025 release date. However, the trailer also revealed that Grand Theft Auto 6 won't have a PC version and will launch only on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. While the decision might not make sense for the gamers, a former Rockstar developer explained that it has to do with sales numbers and challenges that come with developing games for PC.

Rockstar Games Isn't Prioritizing PC Gamers

With no mention of a PC GTA 6 version in the announcement, the fandom took this to mean that Grand Theft Auto VI is skipping PC at launch. But this is nothing new, considering most previous Rockstar Games titles didn't have a PC release at launch either. 

Most notably, Red Dead Redemption 2 was released in October 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and it took another year for it to get a PC port - in November 2019.

The last entry that launched with PC and consoles was GTA 2. And that was way back in the 90s.

Former Rockstar Games animator Mike York stated that the PC port for Grand Theft Auto 6 will come but will take a while longer to develop since Rockstar didn't prioritize it for the GTA 6 launch. He explained that the developer prioritizes what sells, which in this case is primarily PlayStation.

Historically, PlayStation has been the most lucrative platform for Rockstar, which also explains why it focused on PS3 for the release of GTA 5, although the game also got another console release for Xbox 360.

Even though the PC port might do as well as Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation versions, a big reason for Rockstar to prioritize consoles is that developing games for PC is much more challenging. That largely has to do with the fact that it's difficult to optimize the game for all the various PC hardware found in computers. In contrast, consoles don't have different components.

In the video, York explained:
 

"When you’re doing the PC port you have to test things on multiple different hardware, different GPUs. Not just one or two, but 10 or 20. There are so many different configurations out there that you’ll just never be able to test them all."


While it's true that different configurations the developers have to account for when working on a PC port make the development more challenging, the decision to delay the PC version of GTA 6 was ultimately made due to the fact that PlayStation is a much bigger seller and a more profitable option relative the effort the developer has to put in.

When Will GTA 6 Release on PC?

We know for sure that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released in 2025, but it'll come only with console versions. And while Rockstar has yet to officially announce when PC gamers will get to play the game, a PC release is highly likely in Rockstar's plans.

For now, gamers can only speculate when the PC versions of GTA 6 will hit the shelves, but considering the game will launch in 2025 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, 2027 sounds like a fair speculation.

The PC version of GTA 5 launched nearly one year after Xbox and PlayStation, and there was a similar release window with Red Dead Redemption 2, which got a PC port almost exactly one year after the consoles. Still, considering GTA 6 is a much bigger project, a two-year gap seems more believable.

 

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