Industry Plays Release Date Roulette to Dodge GTA 6 Launch

2025 will either be defined as the year that saw Grand Theft Auto 6 hit store shelves or the year that other video game developers moved their titles out of the game's way to avoid being drowned by the noise it will generate for nothing. This is what Ben Porter, director of consulting at games industry intelligence firm Newzoo, is trying to say in an interview with PC Gamer at GDC 2025.

"Studios are essentially playing a high-stakes guessing game," Porter explains. "They're trying to navigate around GTA 6 without knowing exactly where or when it will land." Porter isn't the first to mention this, but he's one of the few named figures who isn't afraid to say it out loud.

Previously, it's been hinted at that the reason why Xbox, Electronic Arts, and, to some extent, even PlayStation and Take-Two Interactive, are scheduling their games to release months ahead of Fall 2025 or months after is to avoid clashing with the next Grand Theft Auto game.

The current expectation is for GTA 6 to hit consoles this fall, with a PC release date still unannounced. However, the possibility of GTA 6 slipping into 2026 is a scenario that keeps many developers up at night. For smaller studios and niche titles, this is particularly troublesome. If GTA 6 gets delayed, these developers could find themselves forced to delay even further, potentially stretching their financial resources to the breaking point.

As Porter puts it, "Everyone's trying to avoid the GTA 6 iceberg. The question is, will they succeed, or will some end up going down with the ship?" At the same event, Greg Rice, Head of PlayStation Creators at Sony Interactive Entertainment, spoke as the lead curator for Day of the Devs and was more bullish on the idea that GTA 6 will help the gaming industry. In his words, GTA 6 is an "opportunity to get in on the new console generation and see what else is out there."

While Porter isn't totally against this notion, he is more skeptical. "There's no doubt GTA 6 will make waves," he acknowledges. "It will certainly attract investor attention back to gaming. But when you see every studio trying to get out of its way, it's hard to view it as a rising tide that lifts all boats."

Outside of Ben Porter and Greg Rice, other executives like Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick and Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki are among those who see the impact of GTA 6 on the entire industry in a positive light. Zelnick previously mentioned that the release of GTA 6 will cause an uptick in console sales, coinciding with Totoki's predictions that Sony will enjoy a record year for the PlayStation 5 sales-wise. Another analyst also thinks that the economically priced Xbox Series S would benefit from GTA 6 .

The reality is that GTA 6's impact will likely be mixed. While it may drive console upgrades and generate excitement, it also threatens to overshadow and potentially sink other titles unfortunate enough to launch close to its release date. For now, everyone outside of Rockstar Games find themselves in an unenviable position.

As the "king" of the video game industry prepares for its coronation, others are desperate to try and position themselves best in an uncertain environment that's dependent on the whims of a single, massive title.