There’s no denying that the hype surrounding GTA 6 is at an all-time high right now. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen new gameplay footage, screenshots, and plenty of other information about what players can expect to see in Leonida. While Rockstar has given the community a close look at what can be expected from the single-player experience, what fans really want to know about is the GTA 6 Online release date.
Considering the money-printer GTA Online has proven to be for the developer, it would be surprising if GTA 6 doesn’t get its own online mode. However, the real question is when it is going to hit the shelves.
So, does GTA 6 Online have a confirmed release date? Here’s everything we know.
When will GTA 6 Online release?
Let’s get this right out of the way first: GTA 6 Online does not have a confirmed release date yet. As of now, GTA 6 is all set ot drop on November 19, 2026, and Rockstar has described the game as a “single-player experience” at launch. What this means is that the online component won’t be available right out of the gate, and players will be focusing on Jason and Lucia’s story as they explore Leonida.
For newer fans, this might come as a surprise, but Rockstar has a history of releasing its online modes separately from the base game. For instance, GTA Online launched exactly two weeks after GTA 5. Similarly, Red Dead Online beta arrived more than a month after Red Dead Redemption 2. Now, some might think that GTA 6 Online’s launch might follow a similar path. However, Rockstar hasn’t uttered a word about its plans for the game yet, and there are several reasons why GTA 6 Online might take even longer.
If you haven’t been keeping up, Rockstar has recently collaborated with Nopixel to bring Nopixel V to GTA Online. Although it’s roleplaying content, it gives players a completely new way to experience Los Santos. The timing for this project is interesting considering that GTA 6 is less than 100 days away, and yet Rockstar is actively promoting GTA Online. If that wasn’t enough, players who pre-order GTA 6 are also getting one month of GTA+ for the current GTA Online.
Rockstar isn’t moving away from GTA Online, and that’s because it’s way too profitable. Even though it’s more than 13 years old, the game continues to make millions of dollars in annual revenue. You’ll be shocked to know, but according to a Forbes report, GTA Online in 2020 managed to make $744 million from microtransactions alone. In recent years, the game has continued to bring in around $400 million annually.
With GTA Online performing so well, Rockstar probably doesn’t want to immediately pull the plug. GTA 6 Online will be a completely new experience, and it will undoubtedly overshadow the existing game. Fans have been itching for something new, and even if they spend a second exploring GTA 6, it would be hard to convince them to return to GTA Online.
That’s not the only thing. When GTA Online and Red Dead Online made their debut, both of these games were bare-bones. It’s only after Rockstar spent years adding new missions, activities, weapons, and other content that they became the massive online experiences known today. This has raised the expectations for GTA 6 Online as well. It won’t be a simple “add-on” to the base game.
It’s clear as day that Rockstar is focusing all of its resources on the single-player side of GTA 6. With all the factors we’ve mentioned above, GTA 6 Online will probably take longer to develop and launch. There’s a good chance Rockstar wants to see how the game performs at launch, its impact on the existing GTA Online player base, and then fully shift its attention to GTA 6 Online. As a result, a GTA 6 Online launch window of six months to a year after the release of the base game sounds quite realistic.
Will GTA 6 Online Support 32-Player Lobbies?
Neither Rockstar Games nor the GTA 6 leaks that surfaced online a while ago have given us any concrete details about what’s being planned for GTA 6 Online. However, recent information from some court documents suggests that Rockstar might have been experimenting with 32-player lobbies for the game mode.
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A few months ago, Rockstar found itself in court against the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain due to allegations of union-busting. The studio claimed that several developers were fired after allegedly leaking sensitive information about its games on Discord.
As People Make Games reported, based on documents presented during the case, one Rockstar employee mentioned that running a “large session” was challenging with 32 players. Rockstar’s legal team argued that this was confidential information about an upcoming project.
Now, fresh documents from Rockstar’s employment tribunal have surfaced online, with The Herald reporting that the developer described an “online 32-player format” as a “highly confidential” feature.
Of course, this doesn’t confirm that GTA 6 Online will launch with 32-player lobbies. However, this gives an insight into what Rockstar may have been experimenting with during development. The lobby size could make its way to the final version, but there’s a chance that Rockstar might have changed its plans. Only time will tell us what’s in store for GTA 6 Online.
Rounding Up
Even though GTA 6 is just around the corner, Rockstar still hasn’t revealed its plans for the GTA 6 Online release date. Considering the success of GTA Online and Rockstar’s current focus on the single-player experience, many speculate that the online mode could arrive anywhere from six months to a year after the debut of the base game.
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