GTA 6’s Score on Metacritic Should Be At Least 90, Says Analyst

There are only 4 days left until the release of GTA 6, the most anticipated game of the year and of this generation of consoles. Players around the world have likely already preloaded it and are eagerly awaiting its launch. In the meantime, various discussions about the game continue, including what reviews it might receive from critics.

Gareth Sutcliffe, head of media, technology, and gaming at Enders Analysis, shared an interesting thought on this matter. As reported by the Observer, GTA 6 needs to achieve a score of at least 90 on Metacritic; otherwise, it could spell trouble for Take-Two Interactive. According to Sutcliffe, if the game’s Metacritic score falls below 90 within 90 days of its release, it could be comparable to a failed movie sequel that doesn’t take off.

An analyst says GTA 6 needs Metacritic scores in the 90s at least, or it will be a massive problem for Take-Two.

Enders Analysis' Gareth Sutcliffe says the next 90 days are "so important" and warns a miss could land like a weak movie sequel.

Rockstar dropping anything below a 90? I really don't see it happening.

Nevertheless, there’s a very good chance GTA 6’s Metacritic score will be at least 95. If we look at the statistics, Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 5—Rockstar’s two previous titles—received a score of 97, which practically guarantees the success of GTA 6. Moreover, according to Polymarket predictions, the sixth installment has a 58% chance of receiving the same rating. For scores of 94+ and 96+, the predictions are even more optimistic—96% and 74%, respectively.

However, as practice has proven, the opinions of gaming outlets do carry weight. For instance, there was recently a controversy surrounding the highest-rated game of 2026 at the moment —The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Slant Magazine rated the game 70/100, causing its Metacritic score to drop from 96 to 95. That said, the main criticism here is directed at the incompetence of the gaming outlet, which deliberately gives low scores to truly high-quality games. For example, Red Dead Redemption 2 also received a 70/100 from them, while Mixtape, incidentally, received a higher score—90.

In any case, it will be interesting to see if GTA 6 manages to become the franchise's highest-rated game and also the best title of the year. The review embargo lifts one day before the release.

Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.