Why GTA 6 May be Causing a Next-Gen Console Problem

A new rumour suggests that the GTA 6 delay could be causing headaches for Microsoft and Sony’s next-gen plans.

Last week, Rockstar Games announced that it would be delaying the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6 by about six months, changing the May launch to a new date of 19 November, 2026.

Rockstar said that the delay would 'allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve'. With GTA 6 targeting PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles at launch, many have been wondering whether the current-gen consoles will even be enough to sustain the game’s scope and vision.

As Ampere Analysis research director of games Piers Harding-Rolls tells GamesIndustry.biz, GTA 6 could have "a significant impact on console sales dynamics in 2026," with the potential to delay the release of the PS6 and whatever the next Xbox console will be called.

GTA 6 (CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

“As the game is such an important driver of hardware sales – not just at launch but over multiple years – Sony and Microsoft will have wanted a much earlier release than late 2026 so they could generate momentum earlier in the cycle,” Harding-Rolls says.

“We are currently forecasting a next-gen PlayStation and Xbox to arrive in late 2027 – but might the console companies be tempted to get more from the current console generation by riding the GTA 6 wave and waiting until 2028?

“The fact that games are now cross-gen makes this less of a factor, perhaps, but such is the size of the GTA franchise, the launch timing will get all areas of the games business thinking about their product strategies.”

What do we know about the next-gen consoles?

Of course, nothing has been confirmed yet regarding the next-gen launch window for the PlayStation 6 or the next Xbox.

We do a little about the potential specs and user experience that may be the goal for Sony and Microsoft, but the companies are still being rather hush-hush about it.

However, Harding-Rolls comments do make a bit of sense.

Rockstar titles tend to be a massive system seller nowadays, but the games have usually launched towards the end of a console cycle to squeeze the most juice out of it.

GTA 5 launched just a couple of months before the Xbox One and PS4, for example.

Red Dead Redemption 2 had a bit more breathing room, coming around two years before the Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

So, it’s entirely possible that GTA 6 may prompt Microsoft and Sony to give the same amount of wiggle room here, and we could be seeing possible 2028 launches for the next-gen hardware.