For Millions of Gamers, Xbox Series S Is the Cheapest Way Into GTA VI
When Grand Theft Auto VI finally arrives, the conversation will naturally focus on Rockstar’s next open-world masterpiece. People will talk about the graphics, the story, the scale of the world, and the countless hours they’ll spend exploring whatever surprises Rockstar has been cooking up for the better part of a decade.
But there is another conversation that will happen alongside it: how millions of gamers are actually going to play it.
Despite the current generation being nearly six years old, a surprising number of players are still gaming on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 hardware. For many people, upgrading simply hasn’t been a priority. Their current console still plays the games they enjoy, and the rising cost of living has made dropping hundreds of dollars on new hardware harder to justify.
Grand Theft Auto VI changes that equation.
Much like Grand Theft Auto V helped define an entire generation of gaming, GTA VI feels like the kind of release that will convince millions of players that it’s finally time to move on from their aging hardware. The problem is that not everyone wants—or can afford—to spend $500 or more on a new console.
That’s where the Xbox Series S enters the conversation.
From the moment Microsoft announced the Series S, the goal was clear: create a lower-cost entry point into current-generation gaming. While much of the discussion around the console has focused on its technical limitations compared to the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, its original purpose has remained unchanged.
Accessibility.
For someone currently playing on an Xbox One or PlayStation 4, the Series S offers the cheapest path into the current generation and, by extension, the cheapest path into GTA VI.
That’s an important distinction.
The internet often debates hardware from an enthusiast perspective. Discussions tend to revolve around frame rates, resolutions, teraflops, and graphical comparisons. Those conversations are interesting, but they don’t always reflect how the average consumer shops.
A lot of people simply want a console that plays the games they care about.
And next year, there may not be a game more important than GTA VI.
If a parent is buying a console for a teenager who wants to play Rockstar’s latest blockbuster, affordability matters. If a casual gamer only buys a handful of games each year, affordability matters. If someone is still using an Xbox One because they haven’t found a compelling reason to upgrade, affordability matters.
The Series S was built for exactly those customers.
Of course, purchasing a Series S isn’t just about gaining access to GTA VI.
Once someone enters the Xbox ecosystem, they also gain access to features that older consoles simply can’t provide. Fast SSD storage dramatically reduces loading times. Quick Resume allows players to jump between multiple games almost instantly. Xbox Cloud Gaming adds flexibility, while Xbox Game Pass provides access to hundreds of titles without requiring individual purchases.
Then there’s Xbox Play Anywhere, one of the most underrated benefits in gaming today. Players who eventually pick up a gaming PC, handheld PC, or devices like the Xbox Ally X can continue playing many of their Xbox purchases across multiple devices without buying the same game twice.
For players making the jump from last-generation hardware, those benefits can feel almost as transformative as GTA VI itself.
None of this means the Series S is perfect.
The console has faced criticism since launch, and some of that criticism is fair. The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 offer more graphical horsepower, higher resolutions, and additional performance headroom. Enthusiasts looking for the absolute best visual experience will understandably gravitate toward premium hardware.
But it’s also worth remembering who is making GTA VI.
Rockstar has spent decades proving it can deliver technically impressive games across a wide range of hardware. The studio has repeatedly found ways to push consoles beyond what many believed possible. GTA V launched on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 hardware that was already showing its age, yet Rockstar still delivered one of the most successful games in history.
There is little reason to believe the company won’t optimize GTA VI to provide a strong experience on Series S as well.
The reality is that many consumers aren’t comparing the Series S to a Series X or a PlayStation 5 Pro. They’re comparing it to not upgrading at all.
And when viewed through that lens, the Series S becomes a much more compelling product.
GTA VI has the potential to drive one of the largest console upgrade waves the industry has ever seen. Millions of players who have delayed making the jump to current-generation hardware may finally decide that Rockstar’s next blockbuster is worth the investment.
When that moment arrives, many of those consumers won’t be searching for the most powerful console.
They’ll be searching for the most affordable one.
For them, the Xbox Series S may end up being exactly what Microsoft designed it to be from the very beginning: a low-cost gateway into the current generation.
Microsoft may have an even bigger opportunity here. If GTA VI drives the kind of upgrade cycle many expect, lowering the 512GB Xbox Series S back to $299 could make the console one of the easiest recommendations in gaming. For players still holding onto an Xbox One or PlayStation 4, a $299 Series S would represent an affordable and straightforward path into the current generation.
The Xbox Series S was built to lower the barrier to entry for modern gaming. Nearly six years into this generation, GTA VI may be the game that proves just how valuable that strategy was all along.
If Rockstar’s next blockbuster finally convinces millions of players to leave the last generation behind, don’t be surprised if the Series S quietly becomes one of the biggest winners of all.
