GTA 6 delay could see next-gen PlayStation 6 and Xbox consoles delayed too, says analyst

Rockstar delayed Grand Theft Auto 6 (again) not too long ago, with a new release window of November 2026, but that delay could see the next-gen PlayStation 6 and Xbox consoles delayed as well, says an analyst.

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In a recent article from GamesIndustry, Ampere Analysis research director, games, Piers Harding-Rolls, pondered if the late release of GTA 6 will have an impact on next-gen console releases. The analyst firm says they're forecasting a next-gen PlayStation 6 and Xbox to arrive in late 2027, lining up with rumors from the last year or so.

However, Sony and Microsoft could be "tempted" to get more from the current-gen consoles riding the GTA 6 wave and then waiting until 2028 for the new PS6 and Xbox consoles.

Harding-Rolls said: "A question I'm thinking about more progressively is this: Could the late arrival of GTA 6 have an impact on when next-gen consoles come to market? 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".

He continued: "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".

I don't see this happening at all, as much as people whinge about next-gen consoles coming out sooner than they'd hoped, as it will give Sony and Microsoft the console fighting power they need to address multiple markets. First off... if you want to play GTA 6, then you'll be able to -- in late 2026 -- buy a base PS5 or beefier PS5 Pro, or the Xbox Series X/S consoles.

But, if you want to play it at higher fidelity graphics or frame rates, then you'll have the PS6 and next-gen Xbox launching in 2027 that should play GTA 6 at 4K 120FPS, as the next-gen consoles will be considerably more powerful than the PS5/XBX right now.

It'll also give Rockstar the chance to sell you multiple copies of the game, where gamers will buy GTA 6 for their current console, and then buy a next-gen PS6/Xbox Next version in late 2027 or 2028. Sony also reportedly has "exclusive marketing rights" to GTA 6 for its PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro consoles, and I'm sure that'll extend (with more money) to the next-gen PlayStation 6 consoles, too.