Former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij reckons the studio could release the PC version of GTA 6 sooner than everyone expects.
With GTA 6, it's no surprise that Rockstar is doing what Rockstar usually does. Console release first, followed by a PC release a year or so later – or a decade and change later in Red Dead Redemption's case. A GTA 6 PC port is obviously going to happen, even if Rockstar hasn't said so yet, but most had accepted that we'd be waiting until November 2027 at the earliest. However, rumors emerged earlier this year that Rockstar could be breaking the trend and releasing GTA 6 on PC way earlier than expected, with a release before the end of March 2027.
Speaking to Rock Paper Shotgun, Vermeij recalls that in the early days of the series, GTA was very much a PC first series – so much so that when the PlayStation port was shown to Rockstar, one artist reportedly said "what the fuck did they do to our textures, I can't believe it, we can't release this shite" – but obviously it changed for GTA 3.
And while PC gaming is probably the biggest it's ever been today, Vermeij says "there's still that same mindset" at Rockstar in regards to releasing ports later. He notes, "I guess it's less of an argument for them because the game is just so big, so they just kind of always left it that way." He adds, "For developers, it's way easier to just do one version at a time."
With the prevalence of AI-developed PC ports and recompilations appearing online, Vermeij notes, "It really has changed the world," saying, "I think I would be concerned, if I was Rockstar, that somebody would just take the PS5 version and get AI to change it to PC." While he acknowledges a gen-AI approximation "won't be as good as their effort," even the small playerbase of such a port "could still also hurt their sales."
With that in mind, Vermeij says, "I wouldn't be surprised if there was an effort to get [the releases] a little bit closer together," although he notes that obviously he doesn't know for sure, having left Rockstar back in 2009. Regardless, don't expect any news on a PC version before the console releases drop, as Take-Two likely wouldn't want to stop potential double dip sales.
