Assessment from a former employee, not an announcement: Obbe Vermeij, former technical director at Rockstar North, believes it's conceivable that the PC version of GTA 6 could arrive sooner than expected. Rockstar or Take-Two have not announced anything regarding this, and Vermeij himself states that he does not know the studio's plans.
His line of reasoning: As soon as GTA 6 is released on PS5, fans or opportunists could use AI to convert the console version for PC. According to Rock Paper Shotgun, the game launches on November 19th, though we have not seen an official primary source for this date.
What does Obbe Vermeij say about an earlier PC release for GTA 6?
Vermeij left Rockstar in 2009, according to his own statements, and now works as an indie developer. In an interview with RPS, he said that generative AI has truly changed the world. As Rockstar, he would be concerned that someone might take the PS5 version and use AI to convert it to PC. While the result wouldn't be as good as an official port, it could still harm sales.
His exact conclusion, according to Eurogamer: “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an effort to get [the releases] a little bit closer together.” That's a speculation, nothing more. He adds that he doesn't know what Rockstar is actually planning.
Technically, he believes AI tools are “probably” capable of creating a port. It would take “hours and hours and hours” and likely cost “tens of thousands of dollars in tokens”. But: “If it’s GTA, I think people are gonna try it.”
Why did GTA often come to console or PC first in the past?
Vermeij's retrospective, as reported by RPS, is interesting. GTA 1 was initially developed for PC, with the PlayStation version built by an external studio in Dundee. When the console version came back, the textures were reduced from 256 to 16 colors, according to Vermeij, which caused considerable frustration among the artists. Nevertheless, the PlayStation version sold significantly better.
From GTA 3 onwards, Rockstar reversed the order: console first, then PC. This has largely remained the case ever since. Most publishers prefer to release all versions simultaneously because it only requires one marketing campaign. GTA, according to Vermeij, plays by its own rules because the game is too large.
How realistic is this scenario for GTA 6 on PC?
Here is our assessment, explicitly as an opinion: The logic sounds plausible, but it is not substantiated. Take-Two, based on experience with GTA, consistently takes action against unauthorized reproductions, and Vermeij himself admits that a large corporation could set lawyers on the case. Whether Rockstar will truly move up the PC release date due to AI clones remains speculation.
For you, this means: Those waiting for the PC version should only trust official announcements from Rockstar. Unofficial, AI-assembled ports would be legally problematic and technically more of a DIY project. You can find everything about the upcoming launch in our report on the preload start and storage requirements. The fact that the PS5 is the focus at launch is also shown by the Sensor Tower estimate for pre-orders.
The concern about AI clones is not new, by the way. According to Eurogamer, developers have canceled public demos for fear of copies, and recently, GTA 6 trailer material was enhanced using Nvidia DLSS 5, as reported by Ars Technica. Eurogamer also states that GTA 6 should not contain generative AI or microtransactions at launch. This is an assertion from Eurogamer; we have not seen confirmation of it here.
Source: Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer
Would you rather play GTA 6 on PC immediately or patiently wait for an official port?
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