We’ve finally gotten the official reveal of Rockstar Games Grand Theft Auto VI, and of course, the internet can’t stop talking about it, and for good reason. This is easily one of the more anticipated games of the decade, and people are tired of playing Grand Theft Auto V and perhaps its online component. However, with the good comes the bad, and Rockstar has pulled out a pocketknife and slashed the arms of PC gamers while pouring salt on the womb and laughing at them. If you didn’t get my colorful hint, Grand Theft Auto VI isn’t heading to the PC. Or at least, that’s what Rockstar wants us all to believe.
While the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S may not even be around with the pending news of refreshed consoles making the rounds, I find it hard to believe this game won’t make it to the PC. I mean, the platform did (eventually) get Grand Theft Auto V, and for that matter, Red Dead Redemption 2. So, what’s going on? Why am I, a person who mainly games on PCs, not upset as the scores of articles on other websites and the countless YouTubers who are calling this the end of the world and saying that PC gaming sucks? Well, because I know better and that we don’t do clickbait stuff around these parts.
So, let me explain to you why I am not upset and that I see what Rockstar Games is doing.
Rockstar is counting on you to double-dip (or triple-dip)
Rockstar Games aren’t idiots; they’ve been at this for a while now. To them, their thought process is we’re going to release GTA VI on The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, so screw you PC gamers. But in actuality, what the developer & publisher are saying is that we’re releasing this on the consoles first, and we have to be silly if we want to leave money on the table by not releasing a PC version. So, please buy the console version and play the hell out of it. We’re sure everyone is going to do that.
Then, maybe six months to a year (or longer), we’ll announce that the game is coming to the PC, and it will feature 4K or 8K textures, uncapped frame rates, widescreen gaming, and various other upgrades. We’ll make it enticing that if you enjoyed the game on the consoles and if you have a capable gaming PC, you’ll want to dive in again. Maybe we’ll add cross-progression to sweeten the deal, so you won’t have to replay everything you’ve already done.
Because we also want everyone to forget that GTA V and GTA Online have been the best on the PC. With tons of mods to make the game better, which keeps people coming back – why wouldn’t we release a version for the PC? Also, in case many people forgot when Grand Theft Auto V was re-released for the PC, it was among the highest-selling games during that period. It showed that people were thirsty and happy to see it being released on the PC a year and a half later.
They don’t want a repeat of GTA IV and GTA V PC launches
I don’t know if many people remember the launches of Grand Theft Auto IV and V on PC, but both were glitchy, buggy messes. Heck, the game continues to be a glitchy game for many. This cannot continue, and I’m sure that Rockstar Games doesn’t want to repeat this, nor do they want to be the next “big game that runs like crap” and if delaying the PC port of the game until the game is as perfect as it can be is a good idea. If I were working on a PC port of a game that people have been waiting on for nearly a decade, I wouldn’t announce anything until it was ready to go.
I still remember attempting to play Grand Theft Auto V on a PC that was considered top-of-the-line for its time, and it was a terrible experience. Every time I got to a certain point, the game would crash, and I’d run into glitches, which was an experience that lasted for months, so I gave it up. I haven’t returned to the game, as I was completely upset over it. Meanwhile, my friends planning on their consoles were having a better experience, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Thankfully, the game runs better now, but if people are still complaining about it….. I’ll leave it at that.
We also can’t forget that the more recent GTA Trilogy: Definitive Edition for every platform, not just the PC, maybe wasn’t worth the time wasted in remastering the game.
Rockstar needs time to get the console versions up and running and likely double that time to get the PC version to do the same. Let’s not forget that the PC is an entirely different beast with scores of different processors, GPUs, memory counts, storage devices, operating systems, etc. The point is the PC is a pain in the ass to develop for, and while I’m not a game developer, I’ve been in the PC game for a while. I’ve also had my fair share of discussions with indie and AA developers, who were candid about their getting games completed for the PC out the door.
Give Rockstar some time; when I say that, I mean lots of time.
That’s how Rockstar rolls
A game has never been released by Rockstar Games that has been released on the consoles and PC simultaneously. Never. This trend will continue with GTA 6 and whatever games the company releases. That’s how Rockstar Games rolls, and I don’t see that changing, ever.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is due sometime in 2025 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. As for the PC version, I’m considering taking bids on if we’ll see the game arrive on the PC before 2026.
