Rockstar will continue to support GTA Online following the launch of GTA 6, but questions remain around the multiplayer of 2026’s biggest game.
While there’s still little in the way of concrete information about GTA 6, at least the two trailers have given some indication of what to expect from the single-player campaign. But how Rockstar will handle the online component remains a complete mystery.
The developer has confirmed GTA 6 will be a ‘single-player experience’ when it launches on November 19, 2026, implying any online aspects will come later. Technically, Rockstar hasn’t confirmed any online component even exists, but it seems impossible to imagine that there won’t be one.
It’s unclear when the next version of GTA Online will arrive, and in what capacity. The current version of GTA Online is a separate download from GTA 5, and it released two weeks after the single-player game, in October 2013.
GTA Online has been a huge money maker for Rockstar ever since, and in its latest financial call for Q1 of the 2027 fiscal year, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick reiterated that the current version of GTA Online will continue to be supported.
‘Generally speaking, our update cadence for GTA Online has been pretty stable,’ Zelnick told analysts in the call. ‘Some of the updates have been amazing, and some have been less successful, but generally speaking, consumers really love them.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
‘But the cadence hasn’t really changed and we do apply significant resources to that, and we do expect to support GTA Online going forward.’
Zelnick has made similar comments in the past. In February, the Take-Two CEO said he has ‘every reason to believe we’ll continue to support GTA Online’ after GTA 6’s launch.
This implies, if an online portion for GTA 6 does exist, it will be a separate entity to the current GTA Online – and not a replacement like Overwatch 2. However, it remains to be seen if it will be a separate download or something that’s tied more to the single-player map.
There’s really no way to tell if there’s going to be a GTA Online 2 or a completely different approach, but Zelnick’s comments seem to rule out either closing down GTA Online 1 or adding to it extensively with GTA 6 content.
Rockstar has a challenge on its hands if it does want to transition from one version of GTA Online to another, but it’s perhaps smart to do a slow move considering how much money the current iteration makes for the studio.
At the moment, it seems unlikely a new version of GTA Online will launch this year, but Zelnick has promised there’s plenty of marketing beats to come, describing the upcoming Netflix gameplay reveal for GTA 6 on August 27 as a ‘one of the hors d’oeuvres’.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Zelnick clarified that ‘there’s appetisers, main course, and dessert to follow’ after the Netflix event when it comes to GTA 6 announcements – suggesting it is only the start of what’s to come.
It might be a stretch to bill the next GTA Online as the ‘dessert’ in this metaphor, but we’ll have to wait and see how punctual Rockstar’s table service is following GTA 6. From a money-making point of view the online element is very much the main course, but Take-Two is no rush to serve it up.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.