GTA 6 labeled “most important” release in history while game spending takes a hit

Rockstar’s GTA 6 may become the most important release in gaming history, according to one industry analyst.

GTA 6 currently remains on track for its eagerly-anticipated 2025 launch on PlayStation and Xbox. The first official teaser took the internet by storm late last year, quickly becoming the most-viewed trailer launch in YouTube history.

Naturally, such unprecedented hype puts a lot of pressure on Rockstar Games developers to deliver. This especially holds true since 12 years will sit between the new release and GTA 5’s historic launch on seventh-gen hardware.

And one analyst just put into perspective the significance of the next Grand Theft Auto adventure.

GTA 6 could have the most important game release in history

Circana (formerly NPD) analyst Mat Piscatella recently sat down with GamesIndustry.biz to discuss current trends, gaming spending, and more. During the discussion, Piscatella noted that while 2024 will be “tough,” renewed interest in the industry should receive a boost in 2025 thanks to GTA 6.

The analyst posits this will be because there’s likely not a more important game release in history than Rockstar’s next open-world opus.

“This is going to be a tough year, but if you look towards 2025 – if interest rates come down and money becomes a little bit more free-flowing to devs and pubs – we should get a boost in the development cycle again. We’re going to get a renewed batch of interest with GTA 6, in particular. There’s probably never been a more important thing to ever release in the industry, so no pressure,” Piscatella stated.

Take-Two Interactive

Considering GTA 5 topped 195 million units sold as of February 2024, Piscatella isn’t overstating GTA 6’s potential significance.

The industry could use a boon. Optimistically, the Circana analyst posits game spending has dropped by roughly 2 percent. A pessimistic eye suggests spending is down 10 percent.

And even with surprise successes like Palworld and Helldivers 2, game spending in 2024 won’t likely match that of 2023, especially since heavy hitters like Hogwarts Legacy and Spider-Man 2 proved essential and few comparable blockbusters are on the board for this year.

But GTA 6 coming in as what could be the most important game release in history should turn the tide in 2025. The question now is, what part of the year does Rockstar plan on dropping its latest blockbuster?