Will GTA 6 Be On The Nintendo Switch?

Thanks to a series of leaks, Rockstar's highly anticipated release trailer for "Grand Theft Auto 6" hit the public a day before planned. Now we know that "GTA 6" will be launching in 2025 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It seems the PC version of "GTA 6" may be launching at a later date, but what about a Nintendo Switch port?

Looking back at the lengthy history of "Grand Theft Auto 5" can help provide some insight into the Switch port's probability. "GTA 5" is the second best-selling game of all time, with over 190 million copies sold. Its initial release 2013 release on PS3 and Xbox 360 began a decade-plus run across console generations. It re-released on the PS4 and Xbox One in 2014, then again on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2022. In other words, "GTA 5" was a mainstay on Microsoft and Sony's consoles the whole time, but it took two years after its initial release to make it to PC in 2015.

Despite over a decade of time and proof of dedication to multiple console, "GTA 5" sadly never made it to the Nintendo Switch. The Switch's hardware is superior to a PS3 or Xbox 360, so the title could theoretically run on the device. Even so, the non-history of "GTA 5" on the Nintendo Switch seems to spell out a similar fate for "GTA 6."

With "GTA 6" confirmed only for the PS5 and Xbox Series XIS at this time, it's safe to assume the Switch joins the PC in missing out on the new game. However, the PC port is expected to come at some point. On the other hand, the Nintendo Switch's probability of ever playing "GTA 6" is much slimmer.

One only has to look at the lack of "GTA 5" on the Nintendo Switch to infer a similar outcome for "GTA 6." On top of that, leaks from the past year indicate that "GTA 6" will run on a more advanced version Rockstar's in-house RAGE game engine. According to reports, the new engine is even more powerful than the one that ran "Red Dead Redemption 2," and it boasts upgraded physics for water and damage, a dynamic day-night cycle, and more complex AI for NPCs. Considering how graphically impressive "RDR2" was, perhaps the current Nintendo Switch's hardware is not up to the task. After all, the Nintendo Switch only received a port of the first "Red Dead Redemption" in 2023.

Still, Nintendo has a potential ace up its sleeve: the Nintendo Switch 2, which is still rumored to release in the relatively near future. It's entirely possible that "GTA 6" will eventually arrive on a Nintendo console — just probably not the Switch.