GTA 5 in May means 2013 Release Date

Two impressive launches on the way from Rockstar Games include GTA 5 and Max Payne 3, and while a release date has been confirmed for the new Max Payne game, the same cannot be said for Grand Theft Auto V.

The big month of May – It’s the view of some blogs that GTA 5 may see a knock-on effect from the launch of Max Payne 3 in May, and this month is likely one some publishers are known to avoid considering the big titles Rockstar plan during May.

This article takes a look at some of the sales in May for previous titles, like L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption, and also studies the time left for GTA 5 to release in 2012. They look at the potential for the next Grand Theft Auto game to come in early 2013, which we’ve heard before with certain release dates on pre-orders. Analysts are split on a release window with some expecting the title next year, and others (Michael Pachter) believing GTA 5 would be targeted at Christmas 2012.

Take-Two likes big game releases in May, so does this mean May 2013? We know Max Payne 3 is the big game for May this year, and history shows us this is the best month for Take-Two when it comes to their biggest games, which they don’t come much bigger than Grand Theft Auto 5. You can see 2010 NPD results for Red Dead Redemption on PS3 and Xbox 360 here, which shows the level of success partly thanks to a May release. This year saw L.A. Noire take the top spot in the same month, and we’re sure GTA 5 would achieve much more than these two games with a May release.

When would you like to see GTA V released, and also when do you think Take-Two would like it? Most analysts are pretty sure the game would come before the end of Take-Two’s next financial year, which would be before April next year but we find it hard for Take-Two to want anything other than a May release considering past success. You can see a couple of videos below, the first is a new video from Max Payne 3’s Design and Technology Series and the second shows the GTA 5 trailer once again.

You can read some more GTA 5 release analysis in this article, which looks at the months of September and October this year. Those of you wanting to play the PS3 demo of Mass Effect 3 should read this article that points to Valentine’s Day. If you’re thinking of getting the Wii U then you might be interested in rumors pointing to GTA 5 launching on Wii U as well.

In Summary: If GTA 5 is going to launch in Take-Two’s favorite month of May, then it looks like you’ll have to wait until May 2013.