There’s One Upcoming PlayStation Game That Could Actually Rival GTA 6 – But Does Sony Want That Fight?

2026 has plenty of exciting games coming out, but the biggest release will undoubtedly be Grand Theft Auto 6. The return to Vice City is expected to be the biggest release of the year and could easily rank among the best-selling games of all time if early metrics and audience engagement are anything to go by. As a result, plenty of developers have been keeping an eye on the Rockstar title, trying to make sure their releases don’t come out at the same time.

After a few notable delays, GTA 6 is now seemingly set for a November 2026 release. However, that also places it within the general release window of another one of 2026’s biggest games. Building off the massive success of the developer’s other recent titles, this PlayStation 5 exclusive has enough excitement surrounding it to make for a genuine contender. However, Sony might want to pick a different battle; otherwise, they could risk giving one of their biggest surefire blockbusters more of a challenge than it requires.

Wolverine Could Be The Only Real Competition GTA 6 Has

Insomniac’s upcoming game, Marvel’s Wolverine, might be the only game on 2026’s schedule that stands a chance of competing against GTA 6, but Sony might want to avoid that fight altogether. As of writing, Marvel’s Wolverine is still set to launch sometime in Fall 2026 and will be a PlayStation 5 exclusive at launch — which could put it into the larger radius of GTA 6, which is currently set for a November release. The entire games industry has been mindful of GTA 6’s release, as the game is expected by many to be the biggest game of the year. The anticipation behind the game has been building for years, and developers have been shifting their own release schedules to ensure that they aren’t in direct competition with the game out of fear of being overshadowed by the competition.

However, one of the few titles that could potentially put up a good fight would be Marvel’s Wolverine. On top of starring the iconic superhero and bringing the X-Men back to gaming after a lull period for the franchise, Marvel’s Wolverine is building on the massive success of Insomniac’s Spider-Man games. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is currently the best-selling PS5 game yet released, with over 16 million sales at the time of writing. The trailers for Wolverine indicate that the game will be a far cry from the quippy web-swinging adventures, with a heavier emphasis on brutal combat and massive set pieces to reflect the mutant’s savage approach to combat. The trailer depicts the game as a mash-up of Insomniac’s tight game design with the brutal combat of a God of War game, and excitement for this title might be just as intense, given the recent resurgence the X-Men have experienced in animation, film, and gaming.

If Sony Wants To Avoid One Of Gaming’s Biggest Battles, Wolverine Needs To Come Out Before GTA 6

Even if Marvel’s Wolverine doesn’t come out directly in competition with GTA 6, too close a proximity to that game could have an impact on the release of the superhero game. Players may be saving up money or putting aside time to play the new Rockstar game once it launches, meaning there’s less of an appetite for another mainstream AAA release. On the other hand, other developers are going to be trying to avoid GTA 6 at all costs, leaving the schedule around GTA 6 potentially wide open for a big game to become a major hit. While most franchises don’t have the marquee status to compete with GTA, the combination of Wolverine and Insomniac might be enough to turn heads. Given the success of Marvel’s Spider-Man, Sony might have the confidence to launch Wolverine in direct competition with GTA 6 or at least encroaching on that release.

Conversely, that “Fall 2026” planned release could allow them to stake a claim on September or October, launching far enough ahead of GTA 6 to potentially avoid eating into one another’s success. Both games had lengthy development cycles and massive budgets, so becoming hits is crucial for their respective developers. In the gaming space, Marvel’s Wolverine might be the only major release that feels like it has the momentum and excitement to rival the open-world Rockstar game. Their differing gameplay styles and approaches might also help separate them, but they also seem to be aiming at the same target audience. With Rockstar reportedly dead set on maintaining that November release, it falls to Sony to decide if Wolverine will come out before GTA 6 or go up directly against it. However, if Sony wants to avoid that fight, it would likely need to contend with all the other developers racing to get their game out before GTA 6 eclipses the competition. Sony might be stuck between a rock and a hard place with determining the exact release date for Wolverine, but