With a little over a month to go until GTA 6, Activision decided to talk about Rockstar's game without fear of comparison. In an interview with The Game Business, marketing chief Tyler Bahl said GTA 6 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 are "the two biggest games of the year" and that Rockstar's launch should help, not hurt, the new Call of Duty.

What was said

According to VGC, editor Chris Dring asked about GTA 6 and the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which he described as the year's most anticipated pair of releases. Bahl answered with "no offense to Zelda": in his view, the two biggest games of 2026 are GTA and Call of Duty.

The executive argued that a huge release makes more people turn on their consoles, which brings back players who may return to Call of Duty. He also said the series' longevity comes from community and social play and that, according to Activision's research, the most appealing part is not the gunplay but playing with friends. On the risk of GTA 6 reducing Call of Duty's player count, he said a drop is not guaranteed and that players may split their time between the two.

The dates

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4: October 23, 2026, with cross-platform play, including on Switch 2, a first for the series.
  • Ocarina of Time remake: November 5, 2026, according to Dexerto's coverage.
  • GTA 6: November 19, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The market context

Dexerto notes that several games have moved out of GTA 6's window for fear of being overshadowed, and that Modern Warfare 4 arrives about a month earlier. VGC adds figures from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella: in August, purchase intent among US console and PC players was 15% for Modern Warfare 4 and 10% for Ocarina of Time. He stresses that the US Switch 2 base (under 7 million) is far smaller than PS5 and Xbox Series combined (nearly 50 million), so per potential player, interest in Zelda is much higher.

VGC also recalls that Call of Duty is usually the best-selling game in the US each year, but that Black Ops 7 placed fifth in 2025, its lowest position in decades. Bahl admitted the game fell short of expectations and said Activision heard the feedback "loud and clear." Dexerto adds that the next Call of Duty will belong to a new "sub-franchise," not Modern Warfare or Black Ops.

What we still don't know

The remark is marketing opinion, not a sales forecast. Rockstar has not commented on it, and GTA 6's real effect on other releases will only show in the numbers after November 19. To see what the game has already shown, read our launch trailer breakdown.