Back in 2020, PC Gamer’s strategic director Evan Lahti declared that PC had won the console war, and that statement feels even more accurate now than it did four years ago. PC gaming still offers its usual advantages—customization, modding, and nearly infinite backwards compatibility—but in recent years, it has also become a haven for previously console-exclusive titles.
Microsoft essentially conceded before the current console generation began, and despite Nintendo’s adamant stance against it, you can still legally emulate its games on PC. Sony, on the other hand, continues to push its PSN requirements and maintains a six-month to one-year exclusivity window for its most prized releases. While this strategy is frustrating, it aligns with Sony’s broader focus on its hardware ecosystem.
But there’s one major obstacle left in the realm of console exclusivity, and it’s particularly frustrating because, unlike Sony or Nintendo, it doesn’t seem to make much sense: Why do Rockstar games take so long to release on PC?
A history of delays:
Grand Theft Auto 3: 7 months between console and PC release
Vice City: 7 months
San Andreas: 8 months
Bully: 2 years
GTA 4: 7 months
Red Dead Redemption: 14 years, 5 months
GTA 5: 1 year, 6 months
RDR2: 1 year
Square Enix was similarly slow for years, despite being a third-party publisher. Games like Final Fantasy 16 and the FF7 remakes were the result of timed exclusivity deals with Sony, which in hindsight don’t seem to have justified the lost sales. Now, Square Enix appears to be rethinking that strategy.
However, no such straightforward explanation exists for Rockstar’s PC delays. Why did Red Dead Redemption 2 arrive on PC a full year after its console launch? Why did Grand Theft Auto 5 hit two console generations before PC? And perhaps the most frustrating case: why has it taken 14 years for the original Red Dead Redemption to come to PC, finally arriving this month with a $50 price tag? Even the Nintendo Switch, a system running on dated tech, got RDR1 before we did!
Rockstar’s worsening PC track record
This isn’t a technical issue. Porting a game isn’t trivial, but in an era where consoles are essentially specialized PCs, Rockstar has the resources to make PC versions happen relatively easily. As PCG hardware writer Nick Evanson pointed out last December, there’s no legitimate technical reason why GTA 6 couldn’t release on PC alongside consoles.
Capcom took an extra seven months to bring Monster Hunter: World to PC in 2018, but that was their first attempt to launch a Monster Hunter game on PC. Since then, they’ve improved dramatically and now release their games on PC from day one. In contrast, Rockstar’s PC delays have only gotten worse. While the GTA 3 trilogy made its way to PC within half a year, later entries like GTA 5 and RDR 2 had year-plus delays, with the original Red Dead Redemption’s 14-year wait feeling particularly egregious.
As of now, Rockstar hasn’t even confirmed if GTA 6 will release on PC at all. Without a clear explanation, the most logical conclusion is a business decision: Rockstar is banking on a second wave of revenue from PC releases, counting on PC players who will buy the game twice.
This strategy may be smart for short-term profits, but it’s alienating PC gamers, a rapidly growing segment of the market. In 2023, PC gaming revenue grew by 8%, while consoles stagnated at 0.5%. While consoles still hold a larger market share, much of that is due to Nintendo’s Switch—a platform Rockstar doesn’t support—and the dwindling numbers of gamers still on PS4 and Xbox One.
If this trend continues—and Sony’s $700 PS5 and slow game releases suggest it might—Rockstar may be aligning itself with a slower market. While this won’t stop GTA 6 from being wildly successful, it could eventually result in Rockstar facing challenges similar to Square Enix’s current struggles: big-name titles like Final Fantasy not delivering the expected impact due to exclusivity deals and delayed PC ports.
Rockstar has the opportunity to stop sidelining PC gamers—an audience no developer should treat as an afterthought—before it becomes a larger issue. However, the gaming industry’s short-term focus often overshadows long-term growth and stability. Unless Rockstar has a major change of heart, it’s likely that GTA 6’s PC launch is already set in stone, delays and all. Then again, maybe Sam Houser will have an epiphany, A Christmas Carol style, and surprise us all. You never know!
