Should PC Players Buy A PS5 Or Xbox For GTA 6 — Or Wait For PC?

PC gamers had hoped that Rockstar would break with its long tradition of leading with consoles and actually release "Grand Theft Auto 6" for PC on the same day as the console versions. Well, it's clear that isn't going to happen — and even worse, Rockstar has yet to even officially acknowledge a PC port at all. Sure, it's bound to arrive, but the lack of acknowledgement means it's likely still quite a ways off. That means console-less PC gamers who can't fathom waiting even longer for "GTA 6" have a major decision to make.

There was a time when buying a console for just one game wasn't a huge deal. Of course, that was back when consoles only cost $200-$300. The absolute cheapest console available right now on which to play "GTA 6" is the 512GB Xbox Series S, which still comes in at $500. And if we're being honest, do you really want to try running "GTA 6" on a Series S if you can help it?

So you're looking at a minimum of $600 for the digital edition of the PlayStation 5 if you want the baseline version of "GTA 6," plus the $80 minimum — $100 for the Ultimate Edition — for the game itself. It's a pricey proposition, but one that PC gamers can't completely rule out given the uncertainty of when they'll be getting a version of "GTA 6" to call their own.

About that whole price thing: PCs aren't free, of course, and ones that can handle top of the line games certainly aren't cheap these days. Beyond that, you have to consider what it's going to cost to get your PC to a level that it can run "GTA 6" at max settings. Otherwise, why were you waiting for the PC version in the first place? And what is that going to look like in a year or two, which is the most common estimate for "GTA 6" to come to PC?

If you already have a PC that can run any current AAA game at max settings without breaking a sweat, you're in great shape. That means that whatever you might have to pay for "GTA6" upgrades in 2027 or 2028 might not be that bad, if upgrades are even required. However, if your rig is already laboring when you try to play "Alan Wake 2," you're going to have to shell out a decent chunk of cash to get your PC "GTA 6"-ready. At that point, that $600 PlayStation 5, $750 Xbox Series X, or even $900 PlayStation 5 Pro (the only console you'll really want to own for this) suddenly seems like a much more economically sound investment. It allows you to play "GTA 6" in three months rather than another year or possibly two, and it'll run just fine. 

It won't be until the inevitably better-looking PC port hits that the console versions will look inferior, and by then, you'll have beaten "GTA 6" two or three times already anyway.

Ultimately, if you absolutely must have the best technical experience possible when playing "GTA 6," you're going to wait for the PC version. If you're that type of gamer, you decided that before you even clicked this article. But if you're still here, it's because you are legitimately considering buying a console just to play "GTA 6" sooner. Well, don't forget that even if you go that route now, you can also still buy it again for PC when it comes out.

The millions of people that have bought every remastered and upgraded version of "GTA 5" over the years haven't all been brand new players. Many of them already bought, and probably beat, the previous version(s) of the game but wanted to play through it again with better graphics and various other added bells and whistles. If you can afford to do it, maybe buying a console for "GTA 6" now but then still playing it when it hits PC later is actually the best option. That way you get to have the best of both worlds — you can experience it when it's brand new and don't have to worry about anything being spoiled, and then can relive it all over again when the sure-to-be-superior PC port hits later. 

Plus, you obviously don't have to only use that console for "GTA 6." Once you have it, you'll have access to whatever exclusives that console offers, plus years of releases that are now dirt cheap, which is always a great perk to buying a console later in its lifespan.