Sony is contacting PS4 users who have added GTA 6 to their wishlist with upgrade information—which makes sense, since the new Rockstar title isn’t coming to last-gen consoles.
For the past few days, PS4 users who have added Grand Theft Auto 6 to their PlayStation wishlist have been receiving messages from Sony—via email, push notifications, and directly in the console’s notification center.
The message is the same across all channels: Get a PS5 so you’re ready for launch.
GTA 6 as an upgrade incentive
The date Sony mentions in these messages is likely already marked in red on many people’s calendars: Rockstar Games has officially announced GTA 6 for November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S—that is, as things stand now, barring another delay.
However, a version for the previous generation—the PS4 and Xbox One—is not planned; the PC will also be supported later.
According to comments on social media, Sony is rolling out this announcement in three different formats:
- One email version shows the GTA 6 key art with a note stating that the title is on the wishlist, followed by a call to buy PS5 consoles. A version in the console’s notification center displays the same text.
- A third version, circulating via Twitter user AnawackYt among others, addresses recipients as “Top Grand Theft Auto 5 players.” Sony is thus also using gameplay history from the previous generation as a criterion.
PS4 players are now receiving messages and emails from PlayStation asking them to upgrade to PS5 to get ready for GTA 6.
Too many signs indicating the November 19 release date is locked in. pic.twitter.com/LeeRR28CCk
— GTA 6 Countdown ⏳ (@GTAVI_Countdown) May 8, 2026
All variants known so far contain a direct link to the PS5 console store. The message is hardly subtle: Anyone who wants to play GTA 6 at launch will need new hardware—which Sony just made even more expensive a few weeks ago.
At the same time,Videocardzpoints out that Sony is apparently counting on using GTA 6 as a major draw for new console purchases.
However, according to its own forecasts, the company expects PS5 hardware sales to decline in the 2026 fiscal year—in part because memory prices are weighing on supply and margins. Whether GTA 6 will be enough to swing the pendulum back in the other direction thus remains one of the most exciting questions for the 2026 gaming year.