If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

GTA 6 review scores still matter, insists Rockstar's boss

Rockstar games typically review well, but the video game industry has changed a lot since Grand Theft Auto V came out.

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Tue Jun 02 2026

Popverse's top stories

Tom Holland is the reason Spidey's going through "Spider-Puberty" - but don't let Marvel know you're calling it that
Arguably Japan's largest manga magazine is ending —not because of money it says, but because it has too many pages
The Backrooms are expanding: A24's box office record-breaker isn't done, confirms Kane Parsons

At this point, we all are assuming that GTA 6 is going to be a hit of generational proportions. However, it has been over a decade since its predecessor was released, and everything about the video game industry has changed in that time. Marketing a game like Grand Theft Auto is a whole different beast than it was in 2013, but Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick still believes that review scores have a part to play.

Talking to The Game Business, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said that critical reception was still an important factor for marketing a game like GTA 6. “Rockstar’s scores are typically in the mid-90s, sometimes high 90s,” he explained. “Not many games can say that. And that’s a reflection on Rockstar’s commitment to quality.”

However, fresh data cited by The Game Business suggests that isn’t the case. Fans are more likely to buy a game based on the recommendation of someone they know than a professional review, which is bad news for those of us who write professional reviews for a living. It also poses a significant barrier to Rockstar marketing the game.

“We are 13 years past the release of GTA 5. The media and cultural environment has completely transformed,” Dan Dawkins, content director at Future, explained. “The media and cultural environment has completely transformed. At that point in time, let’s say 2014, it was easier – not easy, but easier – to handpick the journalists you wanted to review that game ahead of time.” However, the widespread adoption of social media in the last decade means that everyone’s opinion gets put out there at the same time, making it difficult to use reviews to form an informed opinion on a game.

GTA 6 is due out on November 19, 2026, with Rockstar aiming to start promoting it properly in just a few weeks. We expect them to take a different approach to their marketing than they did in 2013, but we’ll have to wait and see.

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer: