A new rumor suggests that the delay of Grand Theft Auto 6 might be throwing a wrench into Microsoft and Sony’s plans for their next-generation consoles.
Last week, Rockstar Games announced that it would postpone the release of GTA 6 by about six months, moving the launch from May to 19 November 2026. According to the developer, the delay will “allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.”
This shift has sparked discussions about whether the current PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles can fully handle the game’s ambitious scope — and what this delay might mean for the upcoming console generation.
GTA 6’s Ripple Effect on Console Plans
Piers Harding-Rolls, research director of games at Ampere Analysis, told GamesIndustry.biz that GTA 6 could have “a significant impact on console sales dynamics in 2026,” potentially influencing the timing of the PlayStation 6 and the next Xbox console.
“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 to generate momentum earlier in the cycle,” he explained.
Ampere currently forecasts new PlayStation and Xbox systems for late 2027. However, Harding-Rolls suggests that both companies might stretch the current generation’s lifespan to 2028, leveraging the GTA 6 launch as an extended sales booster.
While the growing trend of cross-generation releases may reduce the pressure to align hardware with major game launches, the sheer scale of the GTA franchise means its release schedule still influences much of the gaming industry’s strategy.
What to Expect from the Next Generation
So far, neither Sony nor Microsoft has officially revealed their next-gen plans. While speculation continues around potential specs, performance upgrades, and new user features, both tech giants remain tight-lipped.
Still, Harding-Rolls’ reasoning holds merit. Rockstar titles have historically arrived late in console cycles, helping to maximize the current hardware’s potential. GTA 5 debuted just months before the arrival of the PS4 and Xbox One, while Red Dead Redemption 2 landed roughly two years before the introduction of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
If history repeats itself, GTA 6 could serve a similar role — closing out the current generation in style and possibly paving the way for new consoles in 2028.
