Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick Explains Why GTA 6 Isn't Coming to PC, Says Console Is 'Core' Audience

Grand Theft Auto 6 is just a few months away, but the wait for PC gamers is much longer. The hotly anticipated open-world crime title will first launch on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X consoles later this year before likely making its way to PC — as is the case with Rockstar Games' releases. Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive, has explained the decision to launch GTA 6 on consoles only initially, calling console users the “core consumer” for the game.

In a wide-ranging interview with Bloomberg published Tuesday, Zelnick talked about the astronomic expectations from GTA 6 and touched upon Rockstar's release strategy. The studio usually launches its games on consoles first, before porting them to PC later. Zelnick said that PC accounted for 45 to 50 percent of the sales in case of a major release, but Rockstar's core audience were console players.

“Rockstar always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that you're judged by serving the core,” Zelnick told the publication. “Like really serving the core consumer. If your core consumer isn't there, if they're not served first and best, you kind of don't hit your other consumers.”

Zelnick confirmed that console exclusivity wasn't part of Take-Two's marketing deal with Sony. “I mean, historically Rockstar's gone to console first,” he explained.

Leaving out potentially half the player base at launch does come with risk. Releasing GTA 6 simultaneously on PC and consoles would have undoubtedly boosted unit sales at launch, but a deferred launch on PC also allows the game to get a second wind later in its sales cycle. Zelnick doesn't seem too bothered by the impact of not launching Grand Theft Auto 6 on PC this year. “We'll see how it works out,” he said.

Rockstar's PC Releases

Rockstar has a history of putting its games on PC months after launching them on consoles. The studio's last mainline game, Red Dead Redemption 2, released on PS4 and Xbox One in 2018 — PC launch followed a year later in 2019. GTA 5 first released on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013 and next-gen consoles PS4 and Xbox One in 2014, before making its way to PC in 2015. GTA 4, too, launched on PS3 and Xbox 360 first in April 2008, then on PC in December 2008.

There isn't a set pattern for the gap between console and PC releases — it could be a few months, a year, or much longer. Red Dead Redemption, for instance, was released on PlayStation and Xbox in 2010, but a PC version came out 14 years later in 2024. On PC, Rockstar titles usually also arrive with graphical upgrades and new features.

However, one can expect Grand Theft Auto 6 to be released on PC sometime in 2027. Rockstar and Take-Two have not yet confirmed their plans for a PC version of the game. GTA 6 will be released on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on November 19, 2026.