Grand Theft Auto 6's official development announcement earlier this year sparked questions about GTA Online's future. Recent reports suggest the Project America GTA 6 rumors are accurate, which would take players back to Vice City. If so, it raises concern about what Rockstar is going to do with Los Santos being the city for Online.
GTA Online is still very active in 2022, a full eight years after its initial release. The game is technically a part of the GTA 5 installment, but it's a different experience altogether, as there isn't a single-player story mode and players custom create their characters. Rockstar also did a similar technique with Red Dead Redemption 2 and its online counterpart. Current numbers show that GTA Online is still reaching around 100,000 concurrent players regularly. With the number of activities to do, such as starting a business or GTA Online's heist missions, and the ongoing and consistent updates, the game has managed to thrive. But, GTA 6 might change that once it finally releases.
While Grand Theft Auto 6 will certainly change aspects of the franchise, GTA Online likely isn't going anywhere. Given the game's staunch success over the years, Rockstar won't want to let it die off. However, if GTA 6 ends up far exceeding its predecessor in graphical fidelity and capability, the studio might have to figure out a way to assimilate the two without creating a brand new online game.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Doesn't Need A New Online Game
Rockstar Games shouldn't create a brand new online experience for GTA 6 - it doesn't need one. The platform created from GTA Online has already proved that. Rather, whereas GTA 6 could fix RDR2's mortality system with its single-player, there are plenty of other small issues that Rockstar can tweak instead of having to create a brand-new game, a venture that could further prolong the development of GTA 6. The news surrounding the next GTA title has been minuscule, so the studio hasn't officially announced what it's going to be doing.
What players do have to keep in mind is that GTA 6 could be so far advanced from what was seen in GTA 5 that Rockstar will be forced to create a new online experience. If that's the case, it wouldn't be surprising to see a new GTA Online emerge sometime after GTA 6's rumored release date. It'll have to have an updated universe and graphics that match the current game.
To reiterate, though, a lot of information is still up in the air. Currently, Rockstar Games hasn't confirmed any release date or specifics regarding Grand Theft Auto 6, other than the fact that it's coming. This means that fans will have to rely on dubious leaks and not take any piece of information too seriously until official announcements make their way to the public.