Millions of Grand Theft Auto 5 players won't be able to play GTA 6 at launch

After over 12 years, the agonizing wait for Grand Theft Auto 6 is almost over, with the long-awaited open-world game currently locked in for a release date of November 19, 2026. The game has already suffered multiple delays, and some believe that Grand Theft Auto 6 could even be pushed back further, although nothing from Rockstar Games suggests that is the case.

Whether that makes November 19, 2026 the release date or not, there are millions of existing ones Grand Theft Auto 5 players who will be left unable to play the final game of the series on day one. Throughout its marketing campaign, GTA 6 has yet to mention a possible PC release, and there is no indication that this will change before release. Take-Two has suggested that it is standard practice for the company to skip PC at launch, and CEO Strauss Zelnick pointed out that historically, Rockstar releases have eventually branched out to other platforms after launch.

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How to Play All Grand Theft Auto Games in Order (Release + Chronological)

Playing through all the GTA games is a great way to prepare for Grand Theft Auto 6. Here's what we think is the best way to do it.

Grand Theft Auto 6 PC Release Date Delay Locks Out Millions Of Players At Launch

The extent of the hype for Grand Theft Auto 6s release is unique, and it is almost certainly the type of game that some PC-exclusive GTA 5 players will purchase a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S to experience at launch. But for many, this won't be an option, leaving them with no choice but to wait for the eventual PC release. Exact sales figures for GTA 5 on PC are not public, although VG Insights estimates the number of Steam owners for the Legacy version of the game at just over 36 million. PlayTracker puts the figure much higher at just under 78 million. While that's a huge variation, even the lower number is a huge number of owners. Many of these players will already have PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles alongside their PCs and will be able to purchase GTA 6 at launch with no problems. As I said, some will buy a console to play. That almost certainly leaves millions Grand Theft Auto 5 players who will not be able to enjoy the upcoming game in the series.

It is unlikely that Rockstar will confirm an exact Grand Theft Auto 6 PC release date until after the game launches on consoles. Telling players how long they'll have to wait to get their hands on the game could potentially encourage many to stick it out, especially considering they've already waited this long. There are obvious advantages for Rockstar and Take-Two in selling the same game to players on different platforms twice. The best guideline right now is to look at Rockstar's recent history with PC releases. Grand Theft Auto 5 had 19 months between the console launch in September 2013 and the PC release in April 2015. By comparison, Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar's latest game) launched on PC just over a year after its initial release on PS4 and Xbox One. If GTA 6 followed the same path, that would mean the game could come to PC around November 2027.

Terminally Ill GTA 6 Fan may come to play early

Interestingly, the delayed PC release means that it's PC gamers who aren't hoping for more GTA 6 delays, even more so than console players. Delays on consoles likely mean further pushbacks on PC as well, so that would be bad news for everyone. The good news, however, is that this does not seem to be the case. As of last month, Take-Two confirmed its plans to launch Grand Theft Auto 6s marketing press this summer and confirmed its confidence in the November 19, 2026 release date.