Watch Out Developers, GTA6 Is Coming

Man, the first half of this year is packed. The next month and a half is filled to the brim with games worth playing. From Avowed onwards, barely a week is going by without something major to bother our backlogs. Why is it so stacked? GTA6.

A new Grand Theft Auto is coming out this year. And although we’ve only had a single trailer, the presumption right now is that it will hit its announced release date of 2025. That means within the next nine months, we’ll be loading this mystery behemoth onto our consoles (sorry PC-only people).

But fans aren’t the only ones wondering when GTA6 will be coming out. Publishers are trying to avoid competing directly with what is probably going to be the biggest media release of all time. This is a game that’s going to suck up all the oxygen in the room, and then some.

The end result is that we have Snake Eater in August, Borderlands 4 in September and then nothing else for the rest of the year.

Now obviously there are games. Obviously there are major games and minor games and these will inevitably get release dates as we get closer. There is no implication here that November and December will be completely devoid of content. Hell, good luck convincing Microsoft not to release a Call of Duty, although I’m sure they’re praying for a late November/December GTA6 release. They traditionally release in late October or early November, and this year will almost certainly be planned closer to the middle of October than November.

A new trailer may be released soon. That is the rumour. Frankly it’s probably wishful thinking. And inevitably it may prove true anyway. A trailer has to be on the way, and time is ticking.

GTA6 – A Sigh of Relief

When that trailer hits, it will cause a chain reaction. The rest of the year will slowly start to fill up, outside of a giant pause on either side of GTA6. Except for the Sonic Racing game. SEGA loves a challenge and will probably specifically release day and date with it. Their Goliath-beating attempts will pay off at some point, right?

The longer we have to wait for that trailer, the more hilarious it will be to see other publishers hold off on a date. Games that have no business being held hostage will float vaguely in 2025 for as long as possible.  Add an extra degree of fun if Rockstar announce that GTA6 is being pushed into next year.

Either way, GTA6 will be a once in a generation thing. A lot is riding on it. Analysts have pointed to it as a major component in boosting console sales, and lifting all ships in the mess that is the gaming industry in 2025. As I said before, it will likely be the biggest media launch of all time.

For everybody else it’s not about whether they have confidence in the product. It’s about not getting lost in this momentous moment. That’s understandable, but right now the calendar is looking pretty bare.