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Rockstar PC Release History
How long every GTA and Red Dead took to reach PC
Rockstar's big games usually reach PC after consoles. The wait has ranged from the same day to 14 years, and the PC announcement has come anywhere from 3 weeks to 10 months before launch.
Last checked:
This is the record GTA 6 PC predictions are built on. Everything here already happened and has a source. For where GTA 6 stands today, see the GTA 6 PC release date tracker.
Console launch vs PC launch
| Game | First console launch | PC launch | Wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTA IV | April 29, 2008 | December 2, 2008 | about 7 months |
| Red Dead Redemption | May 18, 2010 | October 29, 2024 | about 14 years |
| GTA V | September 17, 2013 | April 14, 2015 | about 19 months |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | October 26, 2018 | November 5, 2019 | about 12 months |
| GTA: The Trilogy, Definitive Edition | November 11, 2021 | November 11, 2021 | same day |
Sources: GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption, GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA: The Trilogy.
The Trilogy is the exception: a remaster of older games, launched on every platform at once. Every brand new Rockstar open world game in this list came to consoles first.
How far ahead the PC version was announced
| Game | PC announced | PC launch | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTA IV | August 6, 2008 | December 2, 2008 | about 4 months |
| GTA V | June 9, 2014 | April 14, 2015 | about 10 months |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | October 4, 2019 | November 5, 2019 | 32 days |
| Red Dead Redemption | October 2024 | October 29, 2024 | about 3 weeks |
Sources: GTA IV, GTA V launch timeline, Red Dead Redemption 2, Red Dead Redemption.
The two most recent PC announcements came only weeks before release. If GTA 6 follows that recent pattern, the first official PC date may arrive with very little warning.
PC delays after the announcement
- Announced on June 9, 2014 for fall 2014. On September 12, 2014 the PC date became January 27, 2015. On January 13, 2015 it moved to March 24, 2015. On February 24, 2015 it moved again to April 14, 2015. Source: GTA V launch timeline
- First set for November 18, 2008 in North America, then moved to December 2, 2008. Source: Wikipedia
- Announced 32 days before launch and released on the announced date, November 5, 2019. Source: Rockstar Newswire
Signs that showed up before an announcement
Before Red Dead Redemption 2 was announced for PC, two public signs appeared:
- An age rating. Australia's Classification Board rated a Rockstar game under the codename "Bonaire" in September 2019 after two refusals. It was widely read as the PC version, and it was (PC Gamer).
- A new launcher. Rockstar released the Rockstar Games Launcher in September 2019, weeks before the PC announcement (GameRevolution).
Signs like these are not announcements, and we will label them as unconfirmed if they appear for GTA 6.
What this means for GTA 6
- A PC version after consoles is the normal Rockstar pattern for a new open world game.
- The wait has varied too much to pin a date. See the estimated window on the tracker.
- Recent announcements came only weeks ahead, and GTA V's PC date slipped three times.