Rockstar has consistently prioritized console launches over PC versions of its major 3D games, but advances in AI-powered reverse-engineering tools could make that strategy more difficult to maintain. These tools may eventually transform console game binaries into portable code with far less human effort, potentially allowing players or developers to create unofficial PC versions of games such as Grand Theft Auto VI. There is still no official release date for a PC port, although one report says Rockstar is targeting the first quarter of 2027.
Time is running out
AI-assisted reverse engineering could quickly turn console game binaries into portable code through brute-force automation and minimal human involvement. That could change the “PC can wait” calculation for Rockstar. “If I were Rockstar, I would be worried that someone would take the PS5 version straight into AI and make it change to the PC version,” Vermeij told Rock Paper Shotgun.
Decompiling a complex game such as Grand Theft Auto VI would not be as straightforward as the early, human-led decompilations of 3D GTA games. The game reportedly includes systems such as an advanced weather system and a scripted sweating simulation. An AI coding system could struggle to reproduce every detail, but that does not necessarily make the task impossible.
Vermeij speculated that reverse engineering the console version of GTA VI could cost “tens of thousands of dollars in tokens.” The resulting port would probably “won’t be as good as the next one.” Even so, he said it might be good enough to satisfy some potential PC players, adding that “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an effort to get it” [the releases] “in order to get ahead of it,” with the two versions moving closer together over time.
“Previously, a lot of effort went into developing a game and it was impossible to plagiarize it, but now that has completely changed,” Vermeij said. “So, yeah, we’ll have to see how that goes over the next few years.”
No official PC timing yet
Rockstar has not officially announced when Grand Theft Auto VI will come to PC. However, a report suggests that the company is currently targeting the first quarter of 2027.
Source: arstechnica.com
