Although GTA 6’s reveal trailer took the internet by storm, PC gamers have been left in the dark by Rockstar Studios, as GTA 6 appears to be skipping PC for its initial launch. Adding some clarity as to why Rockstar may have made this decision, one of its former developers has been speaking about the reasons why GTA 6 will only release on consoles first: because the PC version simply sells worse.
The comments come from former Mike York, made in a recent online interview, have affirmed the growing belief among some fans that GTA 6 won’t be released on PC in 2025. Traditionally, this has always been the way Rockstar has done things, with Red Dead Redemption and GTA 5 both having staggered launches for PC after debuting on consoles.
Many PC gamers had been hoping this wouldn’t be the case for GTA 6, but Rockstar seem to be doing things their way. However, York’s comments seem to confirm that Rockstar’s release strategy goes beyond a mere tradition, but that the PC version of the game simply isn’t very important to the studio.
Speaking about Rockstar's development process for GTA 5, York speaks about how the PC version on the game was often developed "in the background" while teams prioritised the console releases. "In the past, PlayStation was the big seller", stated York, and as a result the versions that would make the most money were made top priority by the studio.
As Rockstar haven’t said anything about when we might expect to see GTA 6 on PC, speculation about GTA 6's PC release timing is rampant. GTA 5 took almost two years after its console release to launch on PC, while Red Dead Redemption 2 followed a similar timetable. If things are the same for GTA 6, and a PC port remains low on Rockstar’s list of priorities, PC gamers could be waiting until 2027 or later for GTA 6, assuming the game releases on consoles in 2025 as expected.
However, York does suggest that a longer wait from PC players will result in a better experience for them overall. "When the developer goes into the PC port process, they now have new ideas to push things." With Rockstar able to spend more time developing GTA 6's PC port, stability and performance will no doubt be a priority. In a year marred by the release of dodgy PC ports such as Hogwarts Legacy and The Last Of Us 2, perhaps a later release date for GTA 6 on PC is for the best.