Ex-Rockstar dev explains why GTA 6 won’t come to PC at launch: ‘This stuff is very complicated’
A former developer at Rockstar has shed some light on why Grand Theft Auto6 (GTA6) will launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S before any possible PC release in the future.
Speaking of his Youtube Channelex-Rockstar developer Mike York, who now works at Highwire Games, reveals that part of the reasoning behind the game's initial console release in 2025 could be sales-driven (via IGN).
“The reason why a PC port comes later and not the first thing out is because they want to prioritize what sells,” York said. “Most of the time, especially in the past, PlayStation was the big seller. PlayStation was the console to have. For the most part, it sold more than any other console.”
However, a possible sales bias on PlayStation isn't the only reason the PC version doesn't have its own release date, at least according to York.
“One of the main reasons why a PC port will take so long is because (PCs) have different architecture and different components,” York said. “On a PlayStation and an Xbox, each of those has one graphics card, and (. ..) it's the same architecture in the box as every PlayStation that ships to millions of people. But when it comes to a PC, everyone has a other PC.”
In practice, this means that many more tests are needed to guarantee this GTA6 has a stable PC version. “If you use the PC port, you have to test things on multiple different hardware (setups), different GPUs. Not just one or two, but ten or twenty,” York continued.
It's reassuring to have an explanation as to why GTA6's releases can be staggered this way. However, keep in mind that none of this is official word from Rockstar.
Given the extreme cultural cache of GTA, It's important to remember that Rockstar is a developer like any other, and must deal with the same technical challenges as anyone else. As for us at Ny Breaking Gaming, we can't wait to see more of the game.
Would you like to play something in the meantime? Our lists of the best story games And best single player games are full of stone-cold quantities.