Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. As of today, Rockstar hasn't announced a PC version. The official GTA VI site lists only the two consoles, as does Take-Two's August 7 earnings release, and the launch trailer Rockstar released on October 15 didn't change that.
The short answer for PC players: plan as though GTA 6 isn't coming to PC this year. On October 13, GamesBeat reported, citing four unnamed sources, that Rockstar plans to release a PC version in the first quarter of 2027, but Rockstar didn't comment and nothing official has followed. History says a PC version usually does come: every mainline GTA since GTA III has reached PC, typically six to 19 months after consoles. Here's what's been said, what the history suggests, and what to play on PC meanwhile.
Is GTA 6 coming to PC? What Rockstar and Take-Two have said
Rockstar itself hasn't said anything about PC. Take-Two's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, has talked around it:
- May 2026. Speaking at the IICON conference, as reported by Shacknews via Bloomberg, he explained the console-first launch: "Rockstar always starts on console," because "you're judged by serving the core."
- September 17, 2026. At Take-Two's annual shareholder meeting, he said PC is becoming "more and more important" to the company, without tying that to GTA 6 or giving a date, eGamers reported.
- October 13, 2026. GamesBeat's Alexander Lee wrote that "GamesBeat has confirmed that Rockstar plans to release the PC version of GTA VI in the first quarter of 2027." Rockstar didn't respond to a request for comment.
Treat the last one as a credible report, not an announcement. Take-Two's next earnings call is scheduled for November 9, ten days before launch, which is the next obvious moment for an official word.
How long has Rockstar made PC players wait before?
Rockstar's biggest games have launched on consoles first since GTA III in 2001. These are the North American release dates:
| Game | Console release | PC release | Wait for PC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto III | October 23, 2001 (PS2) | May 21, 2002 | About 7 months |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | October 29, 2002 (PS2) | May 13, 2003 | About 6.5 months |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | October 26, 2004 (PS2) | June 7, 2005 | About 7.5 months |
| Grand Theft Auto IV | April 29, 2008 (PS3, Xbox 360) | December 2, 2008 | About 7 months |
| Red Dead Redemption | May 18, 2010 (PS3, Xbox 360) | October 29, 2024 | 14 years, 5 months |
| Max Payne 3 | May 15, 2012 (PS3, Xbox 360) | May 29, 2012 | 2 weeks |
| Grand Theft Auto V | September 17, 2013 (PS3, Xbox 360) | April 14, 2015 | About 19 months |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | October 26, 2018 (PS4, Xbox One) | November 5, 2019 | About 12 months |
| Grand Theft Auto VI | November 19, 2026 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S) | Not announced | Unknown |
The older GTA games settled into a rhythm of about seven months. The last two big releases took longer: a year for Red Dead Redemption 2, and 19 months for GTA V, which also came to PS4 and Xbox One in November 2014 before it reached PC. The original Red Dead Redemption is the outlier, at more than 14 years. Max Payne 3 shows the gap doesn't have to be long at all.
If the GamesBeat report is right, any date in the first quarter of 2027 would be the shortest wait for a 3D Grand Theft Auto on PC. The previous record was Vice City's six and a half months.
PC versions usually arrive in better shape
The wait tends to buy something. Red Dead Redemption 2's PC version added visual and technical improvements over the console release, and PC owners of GTA V got the PS5 and Xbox Series upgrades as a free Enhanced update on March 4, 2025. Rockstar has said consoles currently run GTA 6 at 30 frames per second, and VGC expects a PC version to be the first place players see it at a higher frame rate.
Should PC players buy a console for GTA 6?
It's a bigger question this year, because consoles got more expensive in 2026. Sony raised US prices on April 2, and Microsoft followed on August 1. With GTA 6's Standard Edition at $79.99 (the Ultimate Edition is $99.99), these are the US costs of playing at launch:
| Console | US price now | With GTA 6 Standard Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Xbox Series S (512GB) | $499.99 | $579.98 |
| PS5 Digital Edition | $599.99 | $679.98 |
| PS5 | $649.99 | $729.98 |
| Xbox Series X | $799.99 | $879.98 |
That's before tax. If you'd use the console for other games too, it can make sense. If it's only for GTA 6, a PC version that may be months away is a lot cheaper, assuming your PC can run it. Either way, wait for launch reviews before buying hardware for one game. Our guide on which version of a game to buy covers the same trade-off more generally.
Watch out for fake GTA 6 PC downloads
Scammers have noticed the gap. In September, security firm Huntress warned of fake GTA 6 ISO files that install remote access trojans, infostealers and Chaos ransomware, TechRadar reported. In August, Malwarebytes found a network of fake "GTA 6 demo" sites copying Rockstar's branding, according to Player.One. There's no legitimate GTA 6 build for PC. If one is announced, you'll hear it from Rockstar first.
What to play on PC while you wait for GTA 6
If you want something in the same spirit, PC has plenty:
| Game | On PC since | Setting | Play it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced | April 14, 2015 (Enhanced update March 4, 2025) | Los Santos, Rockstar's Los Angeles | The obvious one, and a huge modding scene |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | November 5, 2019 | The American frontier, 1899 | Rockstar's latest, at its best on PC |
| Red Dead Redemption | October 29, 2024 | The American frontier, 1911 | The story RDR2 leads into |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | December 10, 2020 | Night City, California | A dense, detailed open-world city |
| Mafia: Definitive Edition | September 25, 2020 | Lost Heaven, 1930s | A focused, linear crime story |
| Mafia: The Old Country | August 8, 2025 | Sicily, early 1900s | A brand-new Mafia story from 2025 |
| Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition | October 14, 2014 | Contemporary Hong Kong | An undercover cop among the triads |
| Yakuza 0 Director's Cut | December 8, 2025 (original PC release 2018) | Tokyo and Osaka, 1988 | Long crime stories and great side content |
| Hotline Miami | October 23, 2012 | Miami, 1989 | A short, neon trip to the real Vice City |
Grand Theft Auto V. Still the closest thing to GTA 6 you can play on PC, and the Enhanced version is the best-looking way to play it. We wrote about whether to replay GTA V before GTA 6.
Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar's most recent game, and on PC it's at its best. It's also, as we argued, the best warm-up for GTA 6.
Cyberpunk 2077. Night City is one of the most detailed open-world cities on any platform. After years of updates and the Phantom Liberty expansion in 2023, it's in far better shape than at launch.
The Mafia games. Mafia: Definitive Edition is a shorter, more linear 1930s crime story with a great sense of place. Mafia: The Old Country, from August 2025, goes back further, to Sicily in the early 1900s.
Sleeping Dogs, Yakuza 0 and Hotline Miami. Sleeping Dogs is still one of the best GTA-likes. Yakuza 0 has dense city streets and some of the best side content in games. And with GTA 6 heading to Vice City, Hotline Miami's 1989 Miami is a fitting substitute you can finish in an evening. For more picks sorted by what you want from GTA, see what to play while you wait for GTA 6.
The long view for PC players
Waiting is annoying, especially when everyone else is talking about a game you can't play. But on Rockstar's record, PC players who wait tend to get a better-running, better-looking version, sometimes with extras. It's not much comfort in November. It might be by spring, if the report is right.
If you want to keep track of it, put GTA 6 on your Interested list in Perthro, the list for games you don't own yet but want to follow. And if you connect your Steam account, the PC games you play while you wait show up ready to log, so you'll know exactly what kept you busy until it arrives.
Sources
- Rockstar Games: Grand Theft Auto VI
- Take-Two: Results for Fiscal First Quarter 2027, August 7, 2026 (PDF)
- Take-Two: Quarterly results and upcoming earnings call
- Gaming Trend: Rockstar releases the GTA VI launch trailer (October 15, 2026)
- GamesBeat: Grand Theft Auto VI's PC release is slated for Q1 2027
- Shacknews: Why GTA 6 isn't coming to PC at launch
- eGamers: Take-Two's boss was asked about GTA 6 on PC and said nearly nothing
- Take-Two: 2026 proxy statement (annual meeting date)
- Wikipedia: Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, San Andreas, GTA IV, GTA V, Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, Max Payne 3
- VGC: GTA 6 is confirmed to run at 30 frames per second
- PlayStation Blog: New price changes for PS5, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal
- Pure Xbox: Xbox announces worldwide price increases for Series X/S consoles
- Pure Xbox: How the new Xbox prices compare to PS5
- TechRadar: The official GTA 6 price
- TechRadar: Fake GTA 6 malware is on the rise
- Player.One: Fake GTA 6 demo brings malware to PCs
- Wikipedia: Cyberpunk 2077, Mafia: Definitive Edition, Mafia: The Old Country, Sleeping Dogs, Yakuza 0, Hotline Miami
