Strauss Zelnick says PC is 45-50% of GTA 6 sales, but preorders skip PC until 2026

Preorders for GTA 6 are starting now, but the PC version is not. PC Gamer points out the long wait, with the PC release expected in 2026, and it frames that gap as an insult to a customer base Take-Two’s CEO claims is crucial.

The specific tension comes from Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two’s CEO. In an interview with Bloomberg (as cited by PC Gamer) in 2026, Zelnick said Rockstar “always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that you're judged by serving the core,” adding that, for a big title, “PC can be 45, 50% of the sales.” That is the central contradiction PC players are reacting to: if PC can represent close to half the revenue, why is PC not getting the same early rollout cadence as consoles? PC Gamer’s piece basically treats this as a business logic reckoning for the publisher, not a fandom complaint.

There is a practical argument in the source for why console-first happens. PC Gamer notes that delaying the PC version can give developers more time to optimize and iron out launch-day bugs, and there is a rational operational case for staggered releases. But the article pushes back hard on the “core” framing. PC gaming is described as one of the biggest growing markets in the industry, and PC players are positioned as an outsized share of the customer base, especially for games that thrive on longevity and community work.

That last point matters because GTA 5’s ecosystem is used as the example: the modding community is described as “lively and vibrant” and “a boon to the game.” The logic is straightforward. PC is not just another platform, it is the platform where players frequently extend games, create content, and keep a title culturally active after the first wave. PC Gamer then ties this into another incentive mismatch: the article states that Rockstar has been “clamping down on non-official mod support.” If PC is treated as a secondary audience, limiting mods becomes another way to reduce PC-specific value, which can quietly lower adoption and retention even before any official release lands.

PC Gamer also raises another financial hypothesis. It points to GTA 6’s “ultimate edition,” saying it features “some core perks” that are “hacksawed off” and put into a $100 price point, including a $20 markup. The piece suggests a scenario where PC modders or pirates could potentially circumvent “artificial barriers,” implying the pricing structure could be a reason for tighter control. While this is framed as the cynic’s view inside PC Gamer’s article, it still connects an important board-level theme: when pricing and platform access are engineered, the publisher often assumes the threat model will be different across platforms. If you believe PC can be 45-50% of sales, you also need to believe your PC retention and trust problem will be manageable. That is what PC players are challenging.

To ground the “nearly half” claim with actual audience sentiment, PC Gamer says it ran a poll linked below, closing on June 28, and it shares results “at the time of writing.” The article states that 39% of respondents are not buying GTA 6 at all, while only 13% are excited enough to go for the console release and could, in PC Gamer’s editor Ted Litchfield’s phrasing (as referenced in the article), provide Take-Two with a “double-dip” of sales when the PC version comes out. Even with the article acknowledging the limits of a poll and that it is not a “deeply scientific” snapshot, it is still the kind of market signal executives should care about: the audience that is being treated as “not the core” is still showing meaningful interest, and a large chunk is undecided or opposed.

Put differently, the piece is asking an executive question in plain English: if PC truly is projected to be 45-50% of big-title sales, why does the company’s release strategy still strand PC players during the excitement cycle? In console-first launches, the publisher is effectively betting that early sales and reviews on console can carry enough marketing momentum to convert PC demand later. But second-order effects can cut the other way. If PC players feel sidelined, they may delay purchase, reduce day-one impact, or demand discounts and bundles to justify the wait, especially for editions built around $100 pricing. Meanwhile, tight non-official mod support can reduce the post-launch flywheel that makes PC share of wallet more valuable.

For decision-makers watching similar platform strategies, the stakes are simple. GTA 6’s rollout is a live stress test of a revenue model that says PC can be nearly half of sales while treating it like a deferred segment. The strategic risk is not just sales timing in 2026. It is whether trust, community vitality, and price sensitivity on PC can withstand a long gap after preorders begin today. If you are a publisher, investor, or operator building go-to-market plans for cross-platform launches, this is the kind of misalignment that can turn “console-first” into a brand tax that shows up later in conversion, reviews, and long-term engagement.