Expert: GTA 6 Will Be a Game-Changing Industry Event

The impending release of GTA 6 is causing anxiety not only among major publishers but also among industry analysts. Mike Fischer, a consultant for Krafton and a professor at the University of Southern California, revealed in a recent interview that thoughts of Rockstar’s upcoming game are keeping him awake at night.

Fischer predicts that the launch of GTA 6 will be a seismic event that overshadows all other games, regardless of genre. He warns that many companies could suffer from the competition, as gamers simply won’t have the time for anything else.

“When GTA 6 ships, it will be a challenging disruption. Hopefully, there will be a larger audience as a result, but it’s literally an unknown territory, so we’ll just have to wait and see,” said Fischer.

Fischer compared the situation to 2016 when Fallout 4 launched. He noted that Bethesda's RPG drew most gamers' attention, impacting other games’ success.

“I remember when Fallout 4 shipped and Microsoft was shipping their exclusive Tomb Raider game,” they said. “They’re different genres, but I think the blast radius from Fallout just ate up much of the demand for Tomb Raider, which, as a result, missed some of its potential. So whenever Rockstar ships GTA 6, there will never have been a game as big, as immersive, as incredible, as all-encompassing as [it].”

The release of GTA 6 is still scheduled for Fall 2025. The game will be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.