by Rockstar Games’ highly anticipated game Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to release on PS5 and Xbox in 2025 but no date has been announced for PC release. The trailer has received over 170 million views on YouTube which is unheard of in the gaming industry.
Players had mixed reactions when no PC date was announced. Since GTA 3, Rockstar has never released their games on day one on PC. The games usually release on PC within 2 years of the launch. GTA 5 was delayed by 18 months, Red dead redemption 2 was delayed by 12 months on PC to name a few.
In an interview with a Rockstar dev, it was revealed that Playstation makes the most money for them and that’s why consoles are always their priority.
Rockstar is generally known for releasing top notch quality games. The consoles have standardized hardware. Hence, it’s easier to optimize the game and ensure it runs flawlessly on the launch. PC hardware, although more powerful, can vary drastically making it difficult to smooth things out. Rockstar prefers to perfect their games on the consoles first then port it to PC.
Piracy is pretty much non existent on the consoles resulting in maximum profit during initial years of the release. PC players are also known for looking into game files revealing various easter eggs, spoilers and more thing which can hamper experience of other players.
Sony and Microsoft pay Rockstar to keep their games limited to their platforms only. These exclusivity deals are symbiotic relations where the consoles sales go up and Rockstar makes some extra money.
There is a popular theory among GTA players called double dipping. They believe Rockstar delays PC release because the players will buy their games twice. Once to play early then to play on PC to get the most of the game which includes modding, third party multiplayers, etc.
