Some context: Rockstar Games has revealed a while ago that native ports of GTA 5 for the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 will launch on the 11th of November, and at that point GTA Online will also split off into a standalone game. This new port will bring more to the table than just graphical improvements and has been dubbed the Expanded and Enhanced edition. Nestled in a recent leak of alleged features with which E&E sets itself apart from previous versions of the game was one single tidbit regard GTA 6 instead, and what role Online might play as a standalone title intended to outlive GTA 5 proper.
Now, the source of this leak, like so many others, is 4Chan. While the site has a reputation for being the source of many gaming leaks that ended up being legit, it’s also been full of duds and fake leaks, so the standard level of skepticism is recommended here too. GTA 6 will be revealed via an in-game live event, and then further promoted with additional in-game events in GTA Online, according to the leak. This should be imagined as being a format similar to the live events we’ve seen in Fortnite: Battle Royale, and is a logical next step in cultivating GTA Online as a live service platform.
Based on what most leaks say and what we’ve construed from official statements, GTA 6 will be somewhat scaled back in terms of ambition compared to GTA 5 to prevent crunch during development. With GTA Online going standalone, we’re going to assume this means no new multiplayer mode, as Rockstar just assumes the current version of Online can be constantly expanded and improved enough. Announcing GTA 6 in Online would reinforce this, building a tangible link between the two titles, sort of like how Call of Duty: Warzone went on to integrate itself with Black Ops Cold War despite launching as part of Modern Warfare. This is one of those ‘wait and see’ situations, but we’d definitely not be surprised if Rockstar were to go in this direction. We would be surprised if they had anything to reveal at E3 later this month, since the devs are notorious for skipping the event - but hey, one can hope.
