3 December 2025

What If Grand Theft Auto 6 is Bad?

By newsgame

Look, I know you probably read the headline and are only interested in refuting the very notion that Grand Theft Auto 6 could be anything less than a smashing success. Rockstar Games’ open-world crime sequel is easily the most anticipated game of 2026 – it was the most anticipated game of 2025, after all – and all signs point to the game setting every record under the sun.

It’s a game whose shadow is so monolithic that developers were afraid to announce release dates and were willing to make last-minute delays rather than go up against GTA 6. But with all the attention that is focused on Grand Theft Auto 6, all the billions of dollars in revenue it will generate, and the copious hours of game time, what happens if it turns out to be…not that good?

Why Grand Theft Auto 6’s Release Date Could Be The Most Important in Gaming History

The release window for Grand Theft Auto 6 is drawing closer, with the implications of its launch likely having a huge impact on the industry.

It’s a thought that, in some respects, is hard to even consider. Grand Theft Auto 6’s success is a foregone conclusion, to the point that there haven’t been a lot of discussions about what types of records it will break or how well it will do financially. We can’t even fathom how successful Grand Theft Auto 6 will be, because there hasn’t been a game like it. Grand Theft Auto 5 is the closest comparison, but that game will be 13 years old when GTA 6 launches.

What I’m talking about is whether Grand Theft Auto 6 will be good. Will it be a game that’s as inventive, creative, satisfying, and enjoyable as befits a game that will set the world on fire?

Do I think that, given Rockstar Games’ pedigree, Grand Theft Auto 6 will be incredible? I hope that it is. Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, and while I consider Grand Theft Auto 5 a very good game, it isn’t on the same level as Arthur’s tale. GTA and Red Dead are two very different experiences; both are impressive, but in completely different ways. Grand Theft Auto 5 did some things with narrative and open world design that proved why Rockstar Games is unmatched, and I expect Grand Theft Auto 6 looks to blow us away once again.

But there is that small, intrusive thought in the back of my mind (and now it’s in yours) that wonders what happens if the game isn’t everything fans hope. How will that impact the future of Rockstar Games, or even the gaming industry at large? If GTA 6 were to fall short of financial expectations, there would be ripple effects throughout the gaming industry, because when business is booming, it’s booming for a lot of studios. However, as we are seeing right now, when spending is down and gamers must carefully consider which games they purchase, the effects on the industry are catastrophic.

Like any media industry, successes help fuel the entire operation. If a film like Avengers: Doomsday underperforms, then it has a ripple effect that impacts moviegoing big and small. Similarly, if Grand Theft Auto 6 isn’t any good, then it hurts game development as a whole.

I’m not saying that the whole video game industry is counting on Grand Theft Auto 6 to succeed, but the saying “A rising tide lifts all boats” is apt here. There may be plenty of people who come out of their self-imposed video game hiatus because Grand Theft Auto is an event, just like seeing Robert Downey Jr. return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an event. Then, once you get back into the habit, maybe you’ll see what other games are out there.

Grand Theft Auto 6 GTA VI Jason and Lucia artwork composite dropped blues pier boat edit — A composite image featuring *GTA 6*‘s Jason and Lucia artwork superimposed over Vice City pier artwork. A *GTA VI* logo has been inserted between the characters and the background. The image was color-corrected in a way that subdues all shades of blue.

There is a what-if scenario that exists where Grand Theft Auto 6 doesn’t do all the things it is supposed to do. It doesn’t become the best-selling piece of media ever created, it doesn’t stay on the top 10 list for years, and it doesn’t occupy our free time over the holidays in 2026. If that were the case, I shudder to think what would happen to this industry. Rockstar Games will probably be fine, but it would be a damaging result for other aspects of video games.

In reality, everything is a foregone conclusion. The sheer momentum of GTA 6 will not allow the game to do anything but dominate. But what if it didn’t?