Polygon analyzes what Rockstar might do with GTA Online after GTA 6 launches — from a brand-new multiplayer sandbox to integrating Vice City content into the existing Los Santos ecosystem.
Part 1
With Grand Theft Auto 6 due to launch November 19, speculation is at a fever pitch about what the game will be like — and whether it'll actually hit that release date after numerous delays. But one of the biggest questions around 2026's most anticipated game is what its online component will look like. In typically secretive fashion, Rockstar has not even confirmed that there will be an online component to GTA 6, though given the success of the current iteration of GTA Online, it's widely assumed that there will be.
Part 2
GTA Online is still going strong, and is currently in the midst of its annual weed-themed 420 event, which runs until April 29. According to a recent hack of Rockstar's financial data, GTA Online was still pulling in an average of $1.3 million per day between September 2025 and April 2026. The hack didn't reveal any plot details about GTA 6, or anything specific about the company's future plans for the wider GTA ecosystem. But it did reveal that GTA Online is an even bigger money-maker than was already assumed. And that gives us a new jumping-off point to make some educated guesses about what Rockstar has up its sleeves here.
Part 3
There are two distinct possibilities: Rockstar launches an all-new GTA Online that's set in the world of GTA 6, or events and characters from GTA 6 will be integrated into the existing GTA Online. There is also a remote third possibility: GTA Online continues as an offshoot of the world of GTA 5 and has no crossover at all with GTA 6. This seems highly implausible when you consider the fact that Rockstar clearly likes making money and has a formidable talent for doing so.