PS6 And Next Xbox May Not Release Until 2028 Due To GTA 6 Delay, Expert Says

"'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,'"

"He told GI.biz that the delay of GTA 6 will have a "significant impact on console sales dynamics in 2026." This is because, with GTA 6 now coming in November 2026 instead of May 2026, console sales will be "even more back-loaded" than normal. Harding-Rolls said his company is modeling the new systems to launch in late 2027, but that could change if the platform-holders want to squeeze more juice out of GTA 6."

"One of the reasons that GTA 5 sold so well was because the game launched later in the PS3 and Xbox 360 lifecycles, coming multiple years after those consoles arrived. This meant that the install base of those machines was big at the time, and then Rockstar re-released GTA 5 for PS4 and Xbox One when those consoles came out in 2014. Then Rockstar put the game on PC in 2015 and then brought it to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2022"

GTA 6's postponement to November 2026 will significantly affect console sales dynamics in 2026 by concentrating purchases later in the year. Ampere Analysis currently models the next-generation PlayStation and Xbox launching in late 2027, but platform-holders might delay until 2028 to capitalize on GTA 6's sales momentum. GTA 6 is expected to drive hardware sales not only at launch but for multiple subsequent years. Historical precedent from GTA 5 shows that late-cycle blockbuster releases and cross-generation re-releases can greatly boost console install bases and extend a franchise's hardware impact.

Read at GameSpot