RAM turning into silicon gold was one of the more undesirable developments of 2025, a trend that is likely to intensify as we head into the new year. Driven by the most egregious of tech bubbles (one yet to produce a penny in profit), DRAM prices have surged by roughly 170% year-over-year, outpacing even the incremental value of gold in the process. With consumer kits now selling for over $200 a pop, PC gaming is rapidly shedding the value proposition that once defined it, edging ever closer to luxury territory.
To make matters worse, key players in the memory market are downsizing production or redirecting capacity toward cash-rich AI customers, further draining the supply of consumer RAM. On their own, these pressures could already nudge gamers toward consoles like the PS5, but I believe the migration to Sony’s shores will mushroom with the release of GTA 6.
Rockstar’s marquee franchise has long been a bona fide system seller, and its console-first rollout, combined with today’s tricky PC hardware economics, could prove to be the catalyst that finally pushes millions to abandon the PC master-race and embrace the pre-conceived ‘squalor’ of console gaming.
History Says One Thing Clearly: GTA Moves Hardware, Not Just Copies
Very few video game franchises can credibly claim to move hardware, and none more so than GTA. The series has been astonishingly popular for over two decades, with each new entry being a cultural touchstone that sells like hotcakes. This is partly thanks to the most accessible of gameplay formulas, which attracts casual players in droves. For many, the latest GTA consumes a majority of their playing time, and is often the only title they hold a genuine interest in.
You need only look at the anticipation surrounding GTA 6 to see just how in-demand Rockstar’s satirical crime simulators are. I have multiple friends whose interest in upcoming blockbusters like Wolverine or Resident Evil Requiem barely rises above a polite nod – a mild nudge of the shoulder, at best – yet even they are fully aboard the train to Vice City, treating Rockstar’s next outing not as the kind of once-a-generation event the industry rarely produces.
This unprecedented level of hype will almost certainly translate into console sales, just as it has in the past. When GTA V originally launched late during the PS3/Xbox 360 lifecycle, it drove console sales through a period that might otherwise have seen demand drop off. The momentum only continued as the game was ported forward, with the PS4 500 GB GTA V console bundle becoming one of the most popular hardware bundles Sony has ever produced. It’s also worth highlighting that the game remains the highest-selling PlayStation title ever in the US, according to data from Circana.
Fast-forward to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S generation, and even its arbitrary ‘Expanded & Enhanced’ version continues to rank high on the monthly digital sales charts. Few franchises demonstrate such sustained gravitational pull across three console generations, and fewer still convert hype into hardware adoption with this level of consistency.
If you’re still unconvinced about the series being a strong system seller, perhaps a look at how its demand works against the console market might convince you. According to forecasts by Ampere Analysis, the delay of GTA 6 into 2026 is projected to shave around 700, 000 console sales from 2025 estimates for PlayStation and Xbox hardware, something that would not occur if demand wasn’t sky-high. Of course, the natural implication is that those sales will simply shift once the game finally launches in November of next year.
Place all of this into context, and the pattern becomes impossible to dispute. The Grand Auto Theft IP commands large install bases by driving excitement amongst passionate fans, pulling lapsed players back into the market, and giving fence-sitters a reason to finally commit. With GTA 6, Rockstar isn’t just releasing another blockbuster; it’s reintroducing the kind of gravitational force that can reshape hardware purchasing decisions at scale. And this time, broader market conditions are likely to steer these decisions in one specific direction.
GTA 6’s Console Exclusivity Might Be the Moment PC Gamers Quietly Buy Consoles and Pretend It Was Always the Plan
GTA 6’s current status as a console-first release is arguably the most immediate and powerful accelerant behind its hardware-shifting potential. Whether Rockstar ultimately brings the game to PC a year later is almost beside the point. For a franchise of this magnitude, not being there on day one is enough to force decisions. For fence-sitters (players who’ve skipped the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S generation entirely), the equation suddenly becomes very simple. If the goal is to play GTA 6 when it launches, a console isn’t just the easiest option; it’s the only one.
Before you argue that the volume of this subset of gamers isn’t large enough, it’s worth pointing out that it was only in 2025 that the PS5’s active user base surpassed its PS4 counterpart. Last year, this split was evenly poised at 50/50, meaning 59 million players were yet to adopt Sony’s newest hardware. I’m not saying that each of these users is willing and waiting to upgrade, but if even a fraction is looking for a single compelling reason to commit, GTA 6 could be it.
Price is another major factor that has always been in console gaming’s favor – now more so than ever. Despite some jarring hikes, you can pick up a digital PS5 for around $400 and enjoy years of support without feeling the need to upgrade. In contrast, assembling a mid-tier gaming PC that offers some degree of future proofing could easily cost you over $800.
Even the core notion of assembling a rig is complicated by the state of the market. As billions are shoveled into the live furnace known as AI, so are unprecedented amounts of silicon. The explosive demand for LLMs is fueling a crazed diversion where RAM manufacturers are selling DRAM reservers en masse to AI goliaths, while Nvidia is reportedly mulling a 40% cut in their consumer GPU production.
The way things are going, PC components won’t just get exponentially expensive, but also increasingly scarce in supply. And I just cannot imagine the average gamer would pay a premium, wait years for Rockstar to finally release a PC version, and risk missing the launch of one of the decade’s most anticipated games. For millions, the only rational choice is a console: a ready-to-go, future-proofed path to GTA 6 on day one.
With that said, I don’t envision PC gamers ditching their platform of choice. Loyalty, pride, and the sheer inertia of habit keep most firmly tethered to their painstakingly assembled cabinets. But even the most die-hard enthusiasts are not immune to a good ol’ hype cycle, and there will likely be none bigger than GTA 6. The sheer fear of missing out could be the catalyst for stubborn holdouts to finally give the whole console thing a try, just as it did when Red Dead Redemption 2 rolled around.
