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GTA 6 Online Could Launch Within Weeks of the Main Game, Leak Suggests
A new leak from trusted Call of Duty insider TheGhostOfHope claims GTA 6 Online is currently planned to launch within a month of Grand Theft Auto VI's base game release, putting a potential mid-December 2026 debut on the table.
Key update
Rockstar Games has not officially announced when GTA 6 Online will go live, but according to a new leak from insider TheGhostOfHope, the current internal plan is to launch the online component within a month of Grand Theft Auto VI's base game release. If that timeline holds, players could be exploring Vice City in online lobbies by mid-December 2026 — roughly a month after the November 19 launch.
Why it matters
This timeline mirrors Rockstar's past releases. GTA 5 launched on September 17, 2013, with GTA Online following just two weeks later on October 1. Red Dead Redemption 2 took a similar path in 2018, with its online beta arriving about a month after the base game. Industry watchers have noted that a December launch window for the online component would give Rockstar a full holiday season to capitalise on the enormous player base.
What to watch
Meanwhile, internal data from the ShinyHunters leak — verified by Kotaku with sources familiar with the files — reveals just how much is at stake. Between September 2025 and April 2026, GTA Online averaged $9.59 million per week and approximately $1.31 million per day, translating to roughly $500 million in annual revenue. Shark Cards, the game's premium currency, accounted for 74% of that total, underscoring how heavily Rockstar still relies on the live-service model even as GTA 6 approaches.