Report claims Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch on PC sooner than expected

If the leaked release window is accurate, GTA's new title would reach PC just a few months after consoles — something Rockstar has barely ever done.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is rumored to be coming to PC sooner than expected, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high.

If the rumored release window is accurate, that means the new GTA will arrive on PC just a few months after consoles – something almost unheard of from Rockstar.

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A report from GamesBeat claims that Grand Theft Auto 6 — which has yet to be announced for PC — will hit PC in the first quarter of 2027. If true, this means that the game will be removed on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles at most, just four months after its initial release.

In its report, GamesBeat cites "four industry sources familiar with the studio's plans," all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. Rockstar has yet to comment on the claim.

It is a surprising claim. Earlier this year, we predicted that GTA 6 probably wouldn't arrive on PC before November 2027, mainly because that's exactly what Rockstar is. We always have to wait.

Grand Theft Auto 3: 7 months between console and PC release

Compared to that, a four-month gap between console and PC release, and possibly less, seems downright quick, especially considering how the gap between the GTA games themselves has grown over the decades.

Not only is the Q1 release of GTA 6 on PC an unusually short hiatus, but it puts the game right in the middle of a post-holiday hangover, when we're all doing our best to nurse our bruised and battered tomboys back to health.

And I think that's going to be huge especially after this year's holiday season, which will be accompanied by the release of GTA 6 on consoles for gamers. Rockstar loves double-tilt, but punching that button again so soon after a console launch is sure to be seen by quite a few people who prefer the flexibility and power of PC, but don't really want to wait.

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Of course, if Rockstar or Take-Two confirm that a GTA 6 PC release date is indeed close - Take-Two's next quarterly financial report is due on November 9th, which might be the time for that - no doubt some will be waiting for it, cannibalizing launch sales to some extent.

People on social media are saying that they will really wait to buy GTA 6 if the PC version comes out really fast. Given GTA 6's cost, that sentiment may be even more widespread than it seems: at $100 for the premium version and all its exclusive content, you can understand why people might be more reluctant to buy it multiple times than previous games in the series.

Anything is possible, of course, and I'd never imagine having a better understanding of these things than Strauss Zelnick and the rest of the GTA brain trust. But I wouldn't bet on it - and right now I'm definitely taking all of this with a grain of salt. I also contacted Rockstar to ask about it and will update if anyone responds.

GTA 6 PC release: when is it happening?

Andy has been gaming on PCs since he was a teenager, starting with text-adventure and primitive action games on the cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longtime love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He started writing video game news for The Escapist in 2007 and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until he joined the famous PC Gamer community in 2014. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports and Henry Cavill. A lot of Henry Cavill.

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