Former Rockstar Games producer John Ricchio has offered an explanation for why GTA 6 is launching only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, without a simultaneous PC version. Speaking to YouTuber KiwiTalkz, Ricchio said Rockstar's approach of building for consoles first, rather than scaling down a PC-first build, avoids the significant problems that arise late in development, since "shrinking is a lot harder than extending". This matters because it suggests the console-only launch is a deliberate technical and business strategy rather than any disregard for PC players, who will likely have to wait for a port.

Ricchio, who worked on GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3, said decisions about ports come down to resourcing rather than any anti-PC stance, since time spent on a PC version is time not spent elsewhere. He cited Rockstar's early PC build of Red Dead Redemption, created during console development in 2010, as an experiment to gauge the effort required, noting the actual PC release didn't arrive until 14 years later. Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive have not confirmed a PC release date for GTA 6, though it's widely expected to follow the pattern of GTA 5, which took 18 months to reach PC after its console launch. GTA 6 is set to launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on 19th November, without a physical, on-disc edition.