Rockstar Games is expected to release Grand Theft Auto 6 on PC after an initial console launch, and its potential performance on Valve's Steam Machine has been the subject of recent discussion.

The Steam Machine, priced at $1,049, has generally been considered less powerful than the PlayStation 5, and its Linux‑based SteamOS operating system has faced compatibility concerns, particularly with anti‑cheat software.

Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick indicated in a Bloomberg interview that Rockstar intends to prioritize its core console audience, though he acknowledged that PC platforms now account for roughly half of a game's sales. Previous Rockstar titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and the Enhanced Edition of Grand Theft Auto V have demonstrated strong scalability on PC, with adjustable graphics settings that allow performance on a wide range of hardware.

Independent testing has shown that Red Dead Redemption 2 can run at approximately 65 frames per second at 4K resolution with FSR set to performance and mixed graphics presets on the Steam Machine, while the Enhanced Edition of Grand Theft Auto V achieves 60 to 70 frames per second on high settings with ray tracing.

Analysts anticipate that Grand Theft Auto 6 will require more computational resources than its predecessors, potentially limiting frame rates on the base consoles to around 30 frames per second, but the PC version is expected to offer extensive graphical options.

Grand Theft Auto Online relies on BattlEye anti‑cheat, which currently does not support Linux, raising questions about online play compatibility on SteamOS; Rockstar has not indicated plans to modify its anti‑cheat solution.

Steam's latest hardware survey reports that Linux represents 3.9% of the platform's install base, a figure higher than macOS but still a minority that may not influence Rockstar's development priorities.

While Grand Theft Auto 6 is likely to run on the Steam Machine, performance may be constrained to single‑player modes and lower graphical settings compared with console versions; the timing of a PC release remains unspecified, with speculation suggesting a window of one to two years after the console launch.