It’s understood that Sony and Microsoft are engaged on new console platforms–the PS6 and subsequent Xbox–but when would possibly they be launched? In keeping with Piers Harding-Rolls, the analysis director for video games at Ampere Evaluation, these new consoles may launch later than anticipated because of the GTA 6 delay. This might occur, however it’s not what Ampere expects.
He informed GI.biz that the delay of GTA 6 may have a “important influence on console gross sales dynamics in 2026.” It is because, with GTA 6 now coming in November 2026 as an alternative of May 2026, console gross sales will probably be “much more back-loaded” than regular. How does the GTA 6 delay influence the next-generation console launch dates? Harding-Rolls stated his firm is modeling the brand new methods to launch in late 2027, however that might change if the platform-holders need to squeeze extra juice out of GTA 6.
“May the console corporations be tempted to get extra from the present console era by using the GTA 6 wave and ready till 2028? The truth that video games at the moment are cross-gen makes this much less of an element, maybe, however such is the scale of the GTA franchise, the launch timing will get all areas of the video games enterprise fascinated about their product methods,” he defined.
Harding-Rolls went on to say that GTA 6 goes to be “such an necessary driver of {hardware} gross sales,” and never simply when the sport comes out, however for a number of years to observe. “Sony and Microsoft may have wished a a lot earlier launch than late 2026 so they might generate momentum earlier within the cycle,” he stated.
One of many causes that GTA 5 offered so properly was as a result of the sport launched later within the PS3 and Xbox 360 lifecycles, coming a number of years after these consoles arrived. This meant that the set up base of these machines was massive on the time, after which Rockstar re-released GTA 5 for PS4 and Xbox One when these consoles got here out in 2014. Then Rockstar put the sport on PC in 2015 after which introduced it to PS5 and Xbox Sequence X|S in 2022.
(*6*)What do we all know concerning the PS6 and subsequent Xbox?
Each Sony and Microsoft have confirmed that they’re engaged on new consoles, however neither has been formally introduced. Sony, for its half, lately confirmed off some new experimental expertise that might energy its subsequent console. Microsoft, in the meantime, introduced a partnership with AMD earlier this 12 months for future platforms. Rumors have swirled lately that Microsoft may stop the console enterprise, however the firm says that is not true.
For now, GTA 6 is confirmed just for PS5 and Xbox Sequence X|S, but when Rockstar follows the same playbook to GTA 5, followers can count on it to come back to PC later and probably new consoles.