GTA 6 Might Give Xbox Its Final Big Win of This Console Generation, Analyst Predicts

Microsoft has lost this console generation to Sony when it comes to pure sales, but according to one analyst, the release of GTA 6 could be a “last hurrah” for the Xbox Series X and S consoles. Rhys Elliott of MIDiA Research said in an interview that, although Sony will emerge as this console generation’s victor, Microsoft could benefit substantially from GTA 6’s launch in terms of hardware sales, especially of the less expensive Series S console.

“Like Rockstar’s other flagship titles, GTA 6 will hit PlayStation and Xbox before it hits PC. Therefore, it could pay off for Xbox to have a significant Series S push and fire sale to tie in with GTA 6–as one last hurrah for this generation,” Elliott told Windows Central. “The marketing team should be banging the drum, highlighting that ‘The Series S is the most accessible way to play GTA 6.’ A sub-$200 Series S could be an enticing entry point to GTA for cash-strapped consumers, of which there are many, thanks to today’s tumultuous economy and cost-of-living crisis.”

Currently, the 512 GB Xbox Series S is priced at $300, with the 1 TB version going for $350–it’s not uncommon to see lower prices, though. Even if those prices hold until GTA 6 launches this year, the Series S would remain the least-expensive console someone could buy to play GTA 6, as the Series X and PS5 are more expensive.

The Series S is underpowered compared to the Series X and the PS5, of course, but Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick isn’t worried about that. “Look, we support the platforms where the consumers are for as long as they’re there, and we find a way to support platforms despite different levels of tech. Our labels are really good at that. I’m not really worried,” Zelnick said.

However, Elliott also mentioned how the “sad-dad blue elephant in the room” is the possibility that Sony, not Microsoft, secures marketing rights to GTA 6. If this happens, it could give Sony a bigger edge, as trailers and other marketing materials would focus on PlayStation, not Xbox. Elliott pointed out how Sony paid Warner Bros. for the marketing rights to Hogwarts Legacy, which he said led to non-console owners buying a PlayStation console, not Xbox, to play the game.

“It is worth noting that PlayStation would very much want the same thing to happen with GTA 6. Take-Two also of course wants to sell the most copies it can and would do so via PS5’s higher installed base. That’s why I reckon PlayStation will get the rights,” Elliott said.

Console sales in the US are slumping, and other experts have predicted that GTA 6’s launch–combined with the debut of the Switch 2–could help lift the overall gaming market in 2025.

GTA 6 launches this fall for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, though it could be delayed. Rockstar Games released the game’s one and only trailer back in December 2023, and since then, the company has not said a single word about the game.