GTA 6 Is Skipping PC at Launch, and Take-Two's CEO Has Explained Why
- Sagar Mankar
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Grand Theft Auto 6 is launching on November 19, 2026, but only on consoles. PC players will have to wait, and Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has stepped forward to explain the reasoning behind that decision.
In an interview with Bloomberg (via PC Gamer), Zelnick addressed the long-standing question of why Rockstar continues to go console-first with its biggest releases. His answer was straightforward.
"Rockstar always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that you're judged by serving the core," he said. "Like really serving the core consumer. If your core consumer isn't there, if they're not served first and best, you kind of don't hit your other consumers."
So there it is. Console players are considered the core audience, and that shapes the entire launch strategy.
There was also a rumor circulating that a marketing deal with Sony was behind the decision to skip PC at launch. Zelnick shut that down pretty quickly. "No," He said. "I mean, historically, Rockstar's gone to console first."
GTA 6 is expected to push a massive wave of last-gen console owners to finally upgrade to current-gen hardware. It is easy to see why Sony would want its brand associated with that kind of cultural moment. However, keeping the game off PC while the Xbox Series X and S version still exists does not quite add up as a competitive move, so the simpler explanation holds more weight.
Here is where things get a little interesting though. Zelnick himself acknowledged how much PC gaming has grown as a revenue driver for Take-Two. He pointed out that back when he joined the company in 2007, PC versions of games like the NBA 2K series made up only around 5% of total sales. That number looks very different today. "Now with regard to a big title, PC can be 45, 50% of the sales," he noted.
As per historical patterns, Rockstar's games have taken anywhere from 7 months to over a year to arrive on PC after their console release. Red Dead Redemption 2, for example, launched on consoles in October 2018 and did not reach PC until November 2019. So while it is frustrating for PC players, it is not exactly a new situation.
GTA 6 is set to release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S this November. A PC version has not been officially announced yet. Take-Two's next quarterly financial results are expected on May 21, which may shed more light on the company's broader strategy going forward.
