After an eternity, Rockstar Games finally revealed the official Grand Theft Auto 5 release date as being Sept. 17, 2013. The game, was originally intended to launch during spring 2013, but Rockstar cites the need for more polish. With a release date later in the year, and next-generation consoles releasing soon after, will Grand Theft Auto 5 sales on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 take a hit as gamers make the move towards the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4?
The answer is probably not. Grand Theft Auto is such a popular series with a loyal and widespread following, that it doesn't really need to worry about competition. Besides, common sense dictates that those waiting for Grand Theft Auto probably already have an Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and the game offers the perfect swan song for current-generation systems, whose successors are expected to launch during the holiday season of 2013.
One analyst even believes that the delayed release date could mean that Grand Theft Auto 5 might even land on the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4. This scenario is highly unlikely, given that Rockstar has been developing Grand Theft Auto 5 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for years now - but there is always backwards compatibility to take into account and who knows, it might be incredibly easy to port the game over to next-gen consoles for a graphics boost.
Rockstar hasn't officially commented on a PC version of the game, although a LinkedIn profile for a Rockstar employee states that he is currently working on Grand Theft Auto 5 cutscene animation for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Grand Theft Auto 5 features the biggest open world Rockstar has created to date - Los Santos - and gives player the ability to control three main protagonists instead of one. You can preorder the game through RockStar.