L. A. Noire hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 17, 2011. It did not release on PC until November 8, 2011.
Grand Theft Auto 5 was out on September 17, 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was then released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 18, 2014. It did not arrive on PC until April 14, 2015.
Red Dead Redemption 2 debuted on October 26, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Its PC release did not happen until November 5, 2019.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition did come out on PC alongside its console versions on November 11, 2021. However, it was only released through Rockstar's own Rockstar Game Launcher. It did not hit other PC storefronts, such as Steam, until January 19, 2023.
Now, it looks like Rockstar is once again set to pull the same sort of release schedule disparity with Grand Theft Auto 6. Following, the unexpected and early release of the Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer, an official press release was sent out providing a few additional details on the title that were not stated in the debut trailer.
For instance, we are told that Grand Theft Auto 6 will take place in the state of Leonida, the home of the "neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond."
More importantly, we are told that Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms in 2025. Nowhere in this press release is a single mention about the game coming to PC.
Grand Theft Auto 6 will probably come to PC at some point in the future, but it sure looks like Rockstar is once again betting on fans double-dipping on the game: First on the initial console release and then again on the PC release later. Given the 2025 release window for the current-gen console release, we may even end up in a situation here where the game gets a second release, this time on next-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles, before a PC version ever comes out. After all, this very thing happened with Grand Theft Auto 5 and the triple-dip seemed to work out quite well for Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive.
Best case scenario right now is that the PC release hits a few months after it's out on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Worst case (besides never coming to PC at all) is that the PC release comes several years after the initial console release.
Grand Theft Auto 6, in any of its forms, is still over a year away from release, perhaps even closer to two years depending on exactly when in 2025 it comes out. While it is possible the studios involved will announce a PC release between then and now, their history of staggered releases should be a clear sign not to get your hopes up.
I'm so sick and tired of this staggered release garbage just to pull in double- and triple-dip sales. It's especially hot garbage when so many smaller studios have no problem getting their open-world games out day and date across all platforms. For god's sake, even the Yakuza games are available on all platforms at the same time now.
Plus looking how they handled V Online with everything oriented towards monetizing shark cards, and how the world has become more politically correct, I'm keeping my expectations low.