Former Rockstar Developer Explains Why GTA 6 Might Not Launch on PC

When the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer was revealed last week, gamers across the globe were incredibly excited. After all, fans have been waiting for developer Rockstar Games to announce the next game in the long-running and mega-popular series for a decade, so the hype was understandable. However, some of those players' hype quickly dropped when it was revealed that GTA 6 might not come to PC on day one. In a press release that went out after the trailer premiered, Rockstar only confirmed GTA 6 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Now, a former Rockstar developer claims to have the reason why PC players might have to wait a bit longer to get GTA 6 on their platform of choice.

Mike York, a former Rockstar dev who worked on GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, posted a video to his York Reacts YouTube channel. There, York focused on talking about why PC ports often come later for major titles like Grand Theft Auto 6. As you might expect, he said, "They want to prioritize what sells, right, most of the time, especially in the past, PlayStation was the big seller...PlayStation was like the console to have. It sold more copies than any other console for the most part."

That all makes sense when explaining why a PC port might take longer, but in the comments, York also revealed some insight into why Rockstar might be holding back the PC version. York said, "Rockstar Games is different from every other developer. If they release their game on PC the same day as the console they run the risk of hackers and modders changing the core gaming experience they want to deliver to the players."

It's important to note that York specifically said, "I'm not going to speak for them as this is the reason why it's delayed. It's probably one of the many reasons mentioned. It's a complicated topic and subject between devs and players." In other words, he doesn't have any specific insight into this game, but his experience in development means he has a pretty good idea of why PC players will seemingly have to wait.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Release Date

Currently, Grand Theft Auto 6 is set for a 2025 release date. Rockstar Games hasn't narrowed that window any further, which makes sense when you consider how often the studio delays its games. Both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 experienced delays, so while Rockstar hasn't given any indication of a delay for GTA 6, it would not be surprising to hear that news come down next year.

Either way, Grand Theft Auto 6 will be the biggest game on the calendar no matter when it ships. There's nothing like a Rockstar release, and GTA is its most popular series. Hopefully, we see a second trailer relatively soon, though it took a full year for GTA 5 to get its second trailer, so you probably don't want to hold your breath.