Take-Two CEO Unfazed by PS5, Xbox Sales Drop, Predicts GTA 6 Boost in 2025

Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch in the fall of 2025, exclusively for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, leaving PC gamers out of the initial release. This decision aligns with Rockstar Games' traditional strategy, but in today's gaming landscape, it might feel a bit outdated. Given the growing significance of PC gaming for multiplatform titles, is the absence of a PC version at launch a missed opportunity or even a mistake?

IGN posed this question to Strauss Zelnick, the head of Take-Two Interactive, before the company's latest financial report. In his response, Zelnick hinted at the eventual release of GTA 6 on PC. He noted that while some of their titles, like Civilization 7, launch simultaneously on multiple platforms, Rockstar has a history of staggered releases across different platforms.

Rockstar's fans are well aware of the studio's past hesitance to launch games on PC simultaneously with consoles, as well as its complex relationship with the modding community. Despite this, many hoped that GTA 6 might mark a shift in Rockstar's approach to PC gaming.

Historically, major Rockstar titles do make their way to PC, but the timeline for GTA 6 remains uncertain. Given the planned 2025 console release, it's likely that PC gamers won't see the game until 2026 at the earliest.

In December 2023, a former Rockstar developer attempted to justify the delayed PC release, urging PC gamers to trust the studio's strategy. However, Zelnick emphasized the importance of PC sales, noting that they can account for up to 40% of a game's total sales, or even more in some cases.

This comes at a time when sales of the current generation consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, have declined. While Nintendo prepares to launch the Switch 2, neither Sony nor Microsoft have announced their next-generation consoles. Zelnick highlighted the increasing importance of the PC market, suggesting that this trend is likely to continue even as the industry awaits the next console generation.

Zelnick remains confident that the release of GTA 6, expected to be one of the biggest entertainment launches ever, will boost console sales as fans rush to experience the game on the latest hardware. He believes that the 2025 release schedule, not just from Take-Two but from other publishers as well, will lead to a significant increase in console sales.

Some enthusiasts view the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro as the ideal 'GTA 6 machine,' hoping it will offer the best gaming experience for the title. However, technical experts suggest that even the PS5 Pro might not be able to run GTA 6 at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second.