Highlights
CEO of Take-Two Interactive suggests that Grand Theft Auto 6 may be released in 2025, potentially generating $8 billion for the company.
Rockstar Games has a track record of postponing PC releases, with past titles taking anywhere from several months to over a year before arriving on the platform.
Anticipation is high among fans for the release of GTA 6, who are hopeful that Rockstar will deviate from their usual pattern and simultaneously release the game on PC alongside other platforms.
In 2023, the gaming industry had a remarkable year with numerous exciting releases. However, gamers continue to look ahead, and one game in particular has captured their attention — Grand Theft Auto 6. This highly anticipated sequel has fans worldwide eagerly seeking any tidbits of information, even though there has been no official gameplay reveal yet. Surprisingly, Take-Two Interactive's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, may have inadvertently revealed a potential release date during an interview with CNBC.
When asked directly about the release date of Grand Theft Auto 6, Zelnick explained that it is the developers' responsibility to announce such details. However, he followed up by expressing confidence that 2025 will be a lucrative year for Take-Two, with expected revenue exceeding $8 billion. While this could hint at a possible 2025 release for GTA 6, there is still no confirmation on whether the game will follow Rockstar's tradition of launching on PC concurrently with console versions.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Needs to Launch on PC on Day One
Rockstar Games has a long-standing trend of not releasing their recent titles on PC simultaneously with other platforms. This pattern can be seen as far back as Grand Theft Auto 4, which launched in April 2008 for consoles and arrived on PC in December of the same year. L.A. Noire followed a similar timeline, releasing in May 2011 for consoles and then in November for PC. Max Payne 3 had a shorter gap between platform releases, with the PC port coming out just 14 days after the console versions.
The most egregious examples of this trend are the last two major releases from Rockstar Games: Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. GTA 5 initially launched in September 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, followed by a port for PS4 and Xbox One in November 2014. It took a full 19 months for the PC version of GTA 5 to finally be released in April 2015. Red Dead 2, while a slight improvement, still took over a year for its PC port to be released.
Developing games for the PC platform has become increasingly challenging due to the multitude of customizable components. This poses a difficulty for developers in creating a seamless and refined experience for all PC users following a console release. Unfortunately, Rockstar's approach to PC users has been unfair, as they often have to wait a considerable amount of time before being able to play the latest title. This delay results in many players having the story and experience spoiled, while the initial excitement dwindles.
The anticipation surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6 is unparalleled, with millions of PC players eagerly awaiting its release, despite no official announcement yet. It would be illogical for Rockstar to once again neglect the PC market. Now, more than ever, Rockstar needs to break its tradition and simultaneously release GTA 5 on PC alongside other platforms.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is in development.
