GTA V on PC delayed

In a perfect world, you’d be playing GTA V on your PC right now, crashing blimps in glorious 4K. In the average one we’re stuck with, Rockstar is holding back its opus and the fastest entertainment property to generate $1 billion until March, instead of the originally planned January date. The reason cited by Rockstar is the need for extra polish, and the publisher says that the wait will be worth it.

To make up for it, those who pre-order the game at Rockstar Warehouse will receive a million in virtual currency $500k for story and $500k for multiplayer.

Writing on its official website, Rockstar says the following: “Moving a release date is never a decision we take lightly, and is a choice we make only when we k now it is in the best interests of the game and our fans.”

And polished it certainly looks. Despite supporting 4K resolution, triple monitor setups and Nvidia 3D, hardware requirements are surprisingly relaxed perhaps not unexpected for a game that originally shipped on PS3 and Xbox 360 over a year ago, but welcome nonetheless.

As a minimum, you will need an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU / AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor, 4GB memory, and a Nvidia 9800 GT or AMD HD 4870 graphics card. Even recommended specifications aren’t too alienating: Intel Core i5 3470 / AMD X8 FX-8350, 8GB memory and a Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD HD 7870 card. To make a comparison, Metro 2033 demands an i7 processor and 8GB memory, and that came out in 2010.

As a bonus, Rockstar’s long-awaited ‘co-op heist’ mode will launch wit h t he game. This joins PC-only features such as the Rockstar Editor a powerful video production suite in which players can create their own ridonkulous clips and mod support that will almost certainly result in playable horses.

Delays are never easy to stomach, but given the current backlash towards games shipping in an unfinished state and needing weeks of polish, the complete version of GTA V should be worth the wait when it finally arrives on 24 March. Pillars of Eternity is out two days after. We’re going to be busy that week.