Rockstar Games’ long-awaited GTA 6 will be the biggest game of the year… on console. While the blockbuster release is expected to be one of the biggest entertainment releases in history, the game is not releasing on PC this year.
Instead, the game’s PC release is planned for a later date, although that date has not been announced. While the GTA 6 release date for consoles is seemingly set in stone (unless another delay hits), PC players have to wait until, well, whenever Rockstar Games decides. But why?
“If they’re served first and best, you kind of don’t hit your other consumers”.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick on GTA 6’s console-first launch.
In a discussion with Bloomberg, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick explained that PC players are simply not the “core” audience for the Grand Theft Auto franchise. While the games sell well on PC, they sell more on console, and recent leaked data showed a huge increase in GTA Online sales on Xbox and PlayStation compared to PC.
“Rockstar always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that you’re judged by serving the core,” the CEO said. “Like, really serving the core consumer. If your core consumer isn’t there, if they’re served first and best, you kind of don’t hit your other consumers”.
It is true that both GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 both sold better on console compared to PC. However, the market has changed substantially over the last decade with many games selling more copies on PC, especially multiplayer titles like Helldivers 2 and Arc Raiders.
In fact, Zelnick previously explained that the industry is “moving towards PC” in an interview last year. While the CEO admitted that releasing on PC is “more and more important” and “wouldn’t be surprised to see that trend continue”, Take-Two isn’t interfering in Rockstar’s “traditional” release structure.
While it’s clear that console gamers still spend a considerable amount on GTA V’s online component to this day, Rockstar may also be banking on second-wind revenue for GTA 6’s PC launch. Some players will wait until the new game launches on PC before buying it, for sure, but others will double dip and buy two copies of the game to play it alongside console players on launch.
With that said, GTA 6 on console does appear to be shaping up well, although the game does appear locked to 30fps. On PS5 and Xbox, the game is making use of heavy ray-tracing features, which should only look and perform better on PC when that version does finally release.
Historically, Rockstar Games’ PC releases feature multiple improvements over their console counterparts, including the addition of new tools such as editors. It usually takes around a year for games to come to PC after their console debuts, although its not known if this process will be quicker this time around.
