Microsoft has yet to say anything about when to expect the next Xbox console (and neither has Sony about the PS6), but speculation and the odd rumour here and there have settled on 2027 as being the most likely year as things stand.
It's unlikely that anything's set in stone right now though, and one analyst has been pondering whether the recent delay to GTA 6 could have an effect on when Microsoft and Sony decide to launch their new systems.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz recently, Ampere Analysis research director Piers Harding-Rolls suggested both companies might be tempted to "ride the wave" of GTA 6 and avoid jumping too quickly into the next generation:
"A question I'm thinking about more progressively is this: Could the late arrival of GTA 6 have an impact on when next-gen consoles come to market? As the game is such an important driver of hardware sales – not just at launch but over multiple years – Sony and Microsoft will have wanted a much earlier release than late 2026 so they could generate momentum earlier in the cycle."
"We are currently forecasting a next-gen PlayStation and Xbox to arrive in late 2027 – but might the console companies be tempted to get more from the current console generation by riding the GTA 6 wave and waiting until 2028? The fact that games are now cross-gen makes this less of a factor, perhaps, but such is the size of the GTA franchise, the launch timing will get all areas of the games business thinking about their product strategies."
Of course, this is just one person speculating about what could happen in the future, so there's nothing concrete to take away from this whatsoever. And, as mentioned, it's not even known whether 2027 is the planned year for either system.
In terms of the next Xbox console though, we're not sure whether GTA 6 will make much of a difference. Microsoft has shown that it's not as bothered about the Series X and Series S anymore, and considering GTA 6 will likely be supported on the following system as well, it's not like players will be missing out on Rockstar's latest game by upgrading to it. Then again, you could argue that people won't see a need to upgrade so quickly if they're still enjoying GTA 6 on their last-gen Xbox Series X, S and PS5 consoles.
For what it's worth, the above comment was made before Valve revealed its Steam Machine yesterday, which perhaps could also have an impact on when Xbox and PlayStation decide to release their next systems. If it ends up being a huge success, they perhaps won't want to wait too long to try and compete with it!
It's an interesting discussion point no matter what, so we'll throw a fresh poll down below about when you think the next Xbox console will be released, and let us know your thoughts on this analysis down in the comments.
When Do You Think The Next Xbox Console Will Release? (164 votes)
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028
- 2029
- 2030+ 0.6%
- I think it'll end up getting cancelled!