When GTA 6 was first announced as coming out in fall 2025, a lot of game developers made sure not to release anything during that time, owing to the (very reasonable) risk of the game stealing their thunder. Now it's been delayed till May 2026, and those developers are likely very annoyed now. My question is this: did DTG make any plans around accommodating GTA 6, and did the delay of the game's release usurp these plans? Could we see quality be reduced because of the release schedule changing (and hence the possibility of them being rushed)? Will there be a major gap in DLCs' release?
Unlikely. While I have played and enjoyed all the GTA’s from Vice City onwards(and maintain GTA SA still one of the best games ever made) it wouldn’t distract me from enjoying a train sim either. Also, GTA is a play through to the end even if it takes a couple of months, whereas train games provide an ongoing experience.
Highly unlikely. Whilst many of us will enjoy GTA 6, there won't be loads of impact. Unless you can drive trains in GTA 6, then the experience of doing that will no doubt be better on console!
...not really; you have to look at the whole thing realistically. TSW started out as a niche game for train fans, but year after year, thanks to the launch on consoles and more promotion, it's slowly emerging from that niche and has developed into a solid brand. However, its sales figures are nowhere near those of GTA. GTA has shown that players prefer sandbox or open-world gameplay where they can let off steam. That's certainly the recipe for success, along with lovingly crafted details and a satirical take on the real world. It's true, however, that some publishers working on AAA titles now have carte blanche until May 2026. Because when GTA comes out, it will surely attract all the attention and dominate the charts for years to come. GTA 5 is still one of the most popular titles even more than 10 years after launch and 2 generation ports.
I feel like May is historically slow for dtg-created dlc anyway, with them focusing on the next iteration releasing in September. I don’t know how third party devs will play it out.
I don't think it will make much impact, a GTA game and a trainsim game attract mostly a different player ,yes I know there are people that play both( myself included ) but it's still enough of a difference for them not to clash , like if you was releasing two ,racing , shooting games at the same time for example, A factor though probably will be a cash choice for some on what to spend their money on at the time of release
The only risk to consumers would be if they rushed out a load of unfinished routes in the couple of months before GTA launches at the end of May, then went radio silent on any new releases until September, but they already do that every year anyway.
I think it absolutely would. I don't know how much GTA6 costs, but I imagine that if people pay £30 or £60 for it, they will have less disposable income to spend on Train Sim World. It is true that the target audiences are different, but I don't think they are mutually exclusive. I'm also wondering how the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World affects TSW sales. I have no data to back up my claim, but I imagine that if a massive blockbuster movie came out at the same time as a small movie on a niche topic, the small movie would suffer compared to if it released a couple of weeks later.
Anyone who is caring about £30 should probably choose another train simulator product otherwise they are in for severe disappointment or starving to death - just added everything I've spend on TSW together and it's inched into 4 figures. And I rarely stray outside the UK content!
If OldVern's stories about him having to acquire approval from a spouse or parent to buy video games are anything to be believed, I imagine it will be either TSW or GTA, and I think GTA will win. While it is true that £30 isn't enough to send simulator consumers starving, it is still an expense, and one which should be assessed. Most people I've encountered tend not to buy multiple games/addons at once, but space them out instead.
Anything OldVern says is to be believed* - he's one of our oracles - I am just skeptical this is a big deal. You might as well pick any other random thing that costs £30 and ask how it impacts DTG schedule tbh. EG relentless increase in utilities cap... *Caveat - when he says he's not going to buy something cause it doesn't meet his standards. You just know he's going to in the end anyway...
No they are producing just as much as previous years at this time. Go look back at the May and June roadmaps over the last 4 years and you will see the same pattern. It's because working on a new version 3 new routes plus having to recertify and update for the new version all the previous DLC takes up alot of time, server space and manpower for testing and QC. Also everything that they release prior to the new version has to also be updated for the new version as well. So that means less slots for other DLC for testing and QC so production grinds to a crawl.
Also bear in mind the initial release of GTA VI will be console only. Rock* traditionally hold back the PC version for a year or more. As I’ve no interest in playing it on console so will anyone else like minded, not let GTA VI distract them from any other gaming pursuits until 2027 at the earliest!
As mentioned It's still uncertain when gta6 will launch on pc. Not much chance of it distracting me from tsw. Although atomfall has for the last week, and roadcraft is launching soon so tsw is shelved for the moment anyway.
After watching another of Chaz Draycott’s YT clips (this one Lisbon) definitely got Tower Simulator 3 at the top of my buy list for the next Steam sale. I love logistics and I can see myself losing hours and hours playing this.
A rather silly presumption IMO. The size of DTG's 'teams' cannot be compared to Rockstar's. Let alone the quality of their designers, animators, coders and programmers. TSW looks so crude, unfinished and incomplete even compared to GTAV, where the whole of Los Santos is full of life. Plus R's QA is several magnitudes stricter than DTG's, where almost anything goes for those thumbstick warriors wanting to play with trains as long as it doesn't break the Xbox or Playstation stores.
Any game can distract players from TSW, but the reason people play TSW is to scratch that train itch and although other games may take up more of a players time or leave them with less time to do TSW, but it doesn't really threaten TSW as such.
Spoke to a few friends in the industry, GTA doesn't impact them at all. In fact, one thinks it will bring lapsed gamers back into the fold and when they get bored/tired of GTA they'll try something else. I quote one, "Sure, there will be a lot of attention going GTA6 way when it does come out, but you have to remember, for all the people that love GTA-style games, there are many more who don't."
Well, what and when R* releases doesn't personally affect me since the beginning of the era of 'game launchers' (similarly like EA or Ubisoft). I will simply skip it. I still remember how long I delayed purchasing Half Life 2 after reading about Steam on the game box, until I finally decided to give in. The last GTA games I played were the original GTA3 trilogy. Saying that, whenever TSW6 releases I will very likely also skip it at least until release of Tadami line if there isn't a starter edition, even if no single game releases during that month, so it doesn't matter that much what 'big' games release at that given time period. It is much more likely I'll delay purchasing anything for TSW when games like Gothic Remake, Nivalis, Truck World: Australia or The Bustling World release, than any of the very hyped AAA games with their own game launcher. Anyway, I'm going back to inZOI now, which for me already has 10 times more hours played after a month than TSW5 since its release, although that game is just in the very beginning of Early Access now.
You're probably right - it was a good short debate though. However, I'd still argue that that random £30 item would indeed affect DTG sales in some way. Maybe not a new lamp, maybe not a new Indie platformer game, but a new game as big as GTA6 might.
They can barely keep a schedule as it LMAO! I’m almost certain GTA VI has nothing to do with TSW. Though it wouldn’t be surprising if DTG tried to use GTA as an unrelated reason to push back an already delayed DLC.
If they really would look at GTA 6 they would see, that reducing content on Gen 9 consoles isn't the way of GTA 6.
