It’s funny how quickly things change. On the morning of May 2, the GTA 6 release countdown read 77%, a tantalizing figure that made it feel like greatness was within reach. But all it took was an unceremonious social media post to gut that progress, yanking the meter back down to a dismal zero. Naturally, exhaustion seeped into the community, bleeding through countless Reddit threads and Twitter posts.
Considering just how long Rockstar’s radio silence lasted before the delay-shaped hammer finally struck, I can’t help but feel like the acclaimed studio owes us something. And I’d be happy to collect if that patience were repaid with a day-one PC port. Today, I attempt to explain why a GTA 6 PC release on day one makes more sense than ever.
GTA 6 2026 Delay Is a Golden Opportunity for a Day-One PC Release
If there’s one thing that GTA games have typically enjoyed, it’s an abundance of time. Now I can’t attest to first-hand knowledge of Rockstar’s development cycles, but judging purely off their release cadence, the last few GTA titles have seen massive gaps in between.
GTA III landed in 2001, Vice City followed a year later, and San Andreas arrived in 2004. But ever since the move to HD with GTA IV, which dropped four years after San Andreas, things have slowed to a crawl. It took over five years for GTA 5’s arrival, and GTA 6 is currently on track to release almost 13 years later. For context, that’s enough time for an infant to transition to adolescence, for Skyrim to re-release with three separate labels, and for Cyberpunk 2077 to be announced, delayed thrice, released disastrously, and re-worked into a renaissance for the ages.
Of course, Rockstar released a colossus in Red Dead Redemption 2 during that period while also pouring content into GTA Online. But 13 years is far too long for a singular game, especially when it’s a new entry in arguably the biggest gaming franchise of all time (alongside that Italian plumber). And with the recent delay that takes GTA 6’s release into Q2 2026, the studio now has added time to polish the title and potentially create a full-fledged PC port.
It’s always baffled me that a product prepared on PC for years ultimately omits it as a release platform. Rockstar undoubtedly works with top-tier hardware, and much of the game’s content is likely being fine-tuned and tested on high-end systems. To launch GTA 6 on consoles first, and leave the PC community to wait for years after the initial release, seems less like a creative decision and more like a vestige of an outdated business model. After all, the sheer power and scalability of the platform would not only accommodate the game’s vast open world but also allow for optimizations that make full use of the engine’s capabilities.
I’m happy to concede that releasing solely on consoles does come with its advantages. Optimization becomes a more focused effort when working with just two platforms, allowing the studio to ensure smooth performance on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S before shifting their attention to PC. With that being said, similarly ambitious games have managed to release simultaneously across console and PC, recent examples being Elden Ring and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. So, it’s certainly within the realms of possibility, especially for a studio as laden with resources as Rockstar.
The additional development time afforded by the delay gives the studio a golden opportunity to retire their antiquated practice and bring GTA 6 to PC on day one. It would certainly help the studio get some redemption for keeping its player base in the dark for so long. Needless to say, it takes the day-one revenue figures from seismic to stratospheric.
The Harsh Reality: A Day-One PC Port is Almost Impossible
For all my whining and whinging, I’m almost certain that we won’t be seeing GTA 6 on PC before 2027 at the earliest. That’s simply how Rockstar does things, whether it was the GTA 5 PC port that took 18 months or Red Dead Redemption 2 that arrived on Steam just north of a year later. If this is to avoid a development crunch, then I’m all for it. After all, nothing matters more than the well-being of the people behind the game.
However, a lot of players and journalists alike have long suspected that the delayed PC releases are to facilitate a tempting double dip. A nifty earnings jolt that boosts the sales figures after the initial release, paid for by PC players, some of whom are buying the game twice. It’s not pretty, but it’s good business, I suppose.
While I’ve grown accustomed to this pattern, it’s hard not to feel disappointed whenever I see it in action. With the added development time, I hope that PC isn’t left on the back burner yet again. A day-one PC port would be a lovely gesture, a nod of appreciation to an incredibly patient fanbase that’s been anxiously waiting over a decade.
That wraps up my thoughts on the GTA 6 delay and how Rockstar could compensate players by releasing it on PC day one. Do you agree with my reasons? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
