Take-Two Boss Says PC 'More and More Important' as GTA 6 Launches Console-First

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says the PC market is “becoming more and more important” for the company, but Grand Theft Auto VI will launch in November for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S only, with no PC version at launch. Zelnick made the comments at a virtual shareholder meeting, as reported by GamesRadar and covered by GameSpot and IGN. He reiterated Take-Two’s “general approach” of bringing its games to “any platforms for which there is a meaningful audience,” but kept specifics about GTA 6’s PC release close to the vest.

Historically, Rockstar Games has prioritized console launches. Grand Theft Auto V debuted on consoles in September 2013 and came to PC 18 months later, in April 2015. Red Dead Redemption 2 followed a similar pattern. Zelnick’s remarks reinforce expectations that GTA 6 will eventually come to PC, but give no indication of timing.

IGN notes that Rockstar is focusing on delivering “the best single-player experience” for GTA 6 with no multiplayer mode at launch. Instead, GTA Online will continue to be supported “beyond” GTA 6’s release. Take-Two confirmed during the same meeting that the current GTA Online will remain active after GTA 6 ships, since the new game is single-player only at launch. This leaves open questions about when—or if—a new GTA Online iteration will debut, and whether a PC version of GTA 6 might align with that launch.

Former Rockstar producer John Ricchio recently addressed the studio’s approach to PC launches, telling IGN that the staggered release is about optimization. “It’s always better to start with the constraints and then extend,” Ricchio said, referring to starting with consoles before scaling up for PC. "Shrinking is a lot harder than extending. It’s way harder to make your game performant than it is to just be like 'Oh, we've got extra room? Cool, we can deoptimize or make things more shiny.'"

Speculation persists that Rockstar could pair a PC release with a future multiplayer launch, but there is no confirmation or roadmap from the company. For now, PC players are left waiting, while console gamers prepare for the November release and GTA Online fans can expect ongoing support for the current multiplayer offering.