On paper, it would be easy to assume that the next wave of consoles is closer than it looks, yet the latest delay for GTA 6 has thrown the entire timetable into doubt. With Rockstar’s blockbuster now pushed to November 2026, one analyst believes Sony and Microsoft may decide to squeeze even more out of the current hardware before finally rolling out the PS6 and the next Xbox.

Plenty of players have been quietly counting down the months, convinced that the arrival of the PlayStation 6 and the next Xbox cannot be that far off, so anticipation for the next generation has only grown. The news that Grand Theft Auto 6 would not arrive until November 2026, however, landed like a punch in the gut, especially for those who saw Rockstar’s new open world as the big moment that would close the book on today’s consoles.

Could GTA 6 Push Back The PS6 And The Next Xbox?

According to some analysts, that delay could end up shaping Sony and Microsoft’s own roadmap. Piers Harding-Rolls, research director for games at Ampere, told GamesIndustry.biz that the new GTA 6 release window is likely to have a major impact on how console sales behave in 2026. With the launch now lining up with the holiday season, millions of players are expected to hold off on buying a PS5 or Xbox Series X until they can pick one up alongside Rockstar’s game, giving hardware sales a big lift in the final months of the year.

Ampere’s baseline forecast still points to a new generation arriving in 2027, but Harding-Rolls suggests that Sony and Microsoft might be tempted to stretch the current cycle into 2028 to fully ride the GTA 6 wave (as echoed by Gamespot). That extra year would allow both companies to keep the present systems profitable for longer, while the market is still buzzing about one of the most anticipated games ever made.

If GTA 6 does launch in November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the PC version will likely follow around six months later, sometime in mid-2027. Should Harding-Rolls’ prediction prove accurate, it becomes very easy to imagine an upgraded edition of the game for PS6 and the next Xbox, possibly at a higher price than past cross-generation upgrades. This would dovetail with Sony’s own messaging that the PS5 is only at the midpoint of its life cycle, and the pattern lines up neatly with what happened a decade ago.

GTA 5 originally arrived in 2013 at the tail end of the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, then was re-released on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and later on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. That strategy kept the game thriving for more than ten years, helping it surpass 220 million copies sold and securing its position as the second best-selling video game in history.

Source: 3djuegos