Summary

  • GTA 6 won't launch on PC because console versions are expected to sell better and are easier to develop, according to ex-Rockstar staffer Mike York.
  • York worked at Rockstar over a five-year period ending in 2017, having been heavily involved in GTA 5 and RDR2.
  • GTA 6 has been announced with a 2025 console release window, with Rockstar being yet to confirm its PC version.

Grand Theft Auto 6 will be skipping PC at launch because the developers "want to prioritize what sells," a former Rockstar staffer has said. Rockstar officially unveiled GTA 6 on December 4, stating that the much-anticipated game is planned to reach the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2025.

Since the game's long-awaited announcement made no mention of personal computers, the fandom took this to mean that GTA 6 is skipping PC at launch. Such a turn of events would be in line with Rockstar's long-standing track record, as the latest mainline series entry that was treated to a day-one multi-platform release on both PC and consoles was GTA 2, which launched back in the late '90s.

Grand Theft Auto 6 GTA 6 Lucia in Jail next to GTA V 5 logo behind bars
GTA 6 Trailer Playing Side-by-Side With Grand Theft Auto 5 Highlights the New Game's Massive Upgrades

A newly emerged fan-made video highlights the massive graphical improvements between the reveal trailers for GTA 5 and GTA 6.

By 

Former Rockstar animator Mike York agrees with that assumption, having recently said that the PC port of GTA 6 is likely to take longer to develop. The industry veteran expanded on that sentiment in a December 11 YouTube video that saw him assert Rockstar always wants to "prioritize what sells." Specifically, the company's number one focus has historically been PlayStation, with York recalling how Rockstar initially prioritized the PS3 during his time working on GTA 5, even though the Xbox 360 version of the game was developed simultaneously.

Why GTA 6 PC Port Will Lag Behind Console Versions, According to Mike York

  • Console versions of the game are expected to sell better.
    • PlayStation has historically been the most lucrative platform for Rockstar.

  • Console versions of the game are also significantly easier to develop.
    • The sheer parts variety makes PC optimization extremely difficult compared to consoles, which all share the same hardware and thus require much less testing.

  • Prioritizing what sells better and is easier to make is hence a sensible business decision.

And though Rockstar wasn't expecting the Xbox 360 port to outsell the PS3 version of GTA 5, developing them in tandem was still feasible because it only required the studio to target two systems, York said. In contrast, optimizing it for PC was a monumental undertaking due to the sheer volume of hardware configurations that the developer had to account for. The ex-Rockstar staffer believes the same will be true for Grand Theft Auto 6, which is why its PC port is bound to take longer.

[PC optimization] might be harder than rocket science in some situations.

York did acknowledge that PC gaming has been on the rise in recent years, implying that the trend of largely console-driven AAA sales might not hold true forever. But even should PC sales overtake their console counterparts, it's always going to be easier to optimize games for one or two systems than a massive variety thereof. So, out of all the top reasons why Rockstar historically avoided PC at launch, the fact that PC optimization "might be harder than rocket science in some situations" is certainly up there, York said.

The former Rockstar animator hence urged fans to remain patient while knowing that the studio is doing everything it can to deliver the best possible game. Time will tell when that title will actually reach PC, although 2027 does not sound like an impossible launch window, assuming GTA 6 releases on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in late 2025.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
gta-6-cover-art

Grand Theft Auto 6
Display card tags widget
Action
Adventure
Display card system widget
Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
Display card community and brand rating widget Display card open critics widget
Display card main info widget
Released
November 19, 2026
ESRB
Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
Developer(s)
Rockstar Games
Publisher(s)
Rockstar Games
Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start
Grand Theft Auto 6 Press Image 1
8 Images
Grand Theft Auto 6 Press Image 1
Grand Theft Auto 6 Press Image 2
Grand Theft Auto 6 Press Image 3
Grand Theft Auto 6 Press Image 4
Grand Theft Auto 6 Press Image 5
Grand Theft Auto 6 Press Image 6
Grand Theft Auto 6 Press Image 7
Grand Theft Auto 6 Press Image 8
Display card media widget end

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.

Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.

Franchise
Grand Theft Auto
Genre(s)
Action, Adventure