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For the record, I didn’t wake up and randomly chose to be diabolically contrarian today. A spurt of logical thoughts came flooding to me as I stared at the bathroom tiles while I was showering. Thereafter, I came to a couple of conclusions: that I should shower more often, and that GTA 6 getting its first delay might just be the bounceback that the gaming industry needs right now. Let me explain.
2025 Belongs to Smaller Games
Well, relatively smaller games, compared to the presumably gargantuan GTA 6 budget. For those who can recall, 2024 was a rather lukewarm year for gaming, thanks in part to the layoffs, game cancellations, and studio bankruptcies. Also, 2023’s Baldur’s Gate 3 set a high bar. Still, it’s no secret that the gaming industry was collapsing under the weight of AAA budgets and corporate ambition.
Hence, 2025, by comparison, is a surprisingly refreshing year. We’re not even halfway through 2025 yet, and we already have several Game of the Year (GOTY) contenders. There’s Split Fiction, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, Avowed, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Oblivion Remastered, and my personal contender, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Over the horizon, there’s Doom, Metal Gear Solid Delta, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, and more. And yes, GTA 6 was supposed to be among those, but it got pushed to May 2026. While it’s a tragedy for ravenous GTA fans (me included), it’s a great opportunity for smaller games, particularly Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is an AA production– a video game budget that many industry experts claimed is dead or doomed to fail.
Exciting Year-End Competition Ahead
The thing is, if GTA 6 pushed through with its initial Fall 2025 release date, there’s a fairly high chance it would hog everything from the awards, market share, and sheer popularity. Devs and even publishers are avoiding scheduling their games near GTA 6 for that very reason. Now that GTA 6 is delayed, each of the smaller games mentioned above now has a better chance of not just gaining popularity but also sales and recognition.
So it stands within reason that even AA games and studios can thrive better in 2025. Moreover, games that would win awards based on merits that don’t involve popularity could have had a fairer chance to compete in video game awards ceremonies in 2025.
Most of Us Aren’t Ready for $100 Video Games
Don’t get me wrong, I’m also excited for GTA 6, especially since my first GTA game was Vice City. But worrying speculations point to how GTA 6 would usher in the era of $100 video games, and $100-video-games in 2025 are not what the gamers need right now. So, while GTA 6‘s delay only delayed the inevitable, there’s hope that publishers won’t be as bold or as brazen with their pricing in 2025 (except for Nintendo).
At least for now, we get to enjoy great GOTY-quality games for AA prices, and we could use more of these games to prove a point not just to the executives, but also other gamers. AA games still work.
Of course, the other acceptable consolation we have for the GTA 6 delay is that it might turn out better and more polished than if it were to release in 2025. That could be an important delay if GTA 6 is really going to be priced at $100 or even just $80+. The good news is that one more year of waiting should fly by fast with some solid masterpieces to keep you occupied in 2025.
