The upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 is likely going to be one of the most popular and talked about games of its generation. With the unheard-of level of longevity demonstrated by its predecessor, the game will be aiming to be bigger and better across all the aspects of gameplay that it has to offer.
With this in mind, there is one element that Grand Theft Auto 6 could introduce that will instantly set it a cut above the huge expectations set by GTA 5. Seemingly corroborated by recent high-profile reports, Grand Theft Auto 6 may be implementing single-player narrative DLC, an attractive post-launch feature that was neglected by Grand Theft Auto 5.
The Lack of DLC For Grand Theft Auto 5
Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the most successful games of all time. Originally releasing in 2013, the game is still somehow as relevant as ever, with both its singleplayer and multiplayer modes still dominating large sections of the gaming discourse.
Although GTA 5 redefined what could be expected of the franchise's multiplayer via the introduction of the wildly successful Grand Theft Auto Online, the singleplayer of GTA titles will always define how the game is received by fans overall. The story of Grand Theft Auto 5 was one of the most thoroughly detailed and memorable in Rockstar's entire history, which makes the absence of any post-launch DLC for the game's singleplayer all the more confusing.
Prior to Grand Theft Auto 5, the franchise had set an industry standard for post-launch expansions for singleplayer modes. For example, 2008's iconic Grand Theft Auto 4 would release post-launch DLC in the form of The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned, two expansions that would go on to become just as beloved by fans as the main story itself. With the huge scale of Grand Theft Auto 5 and the endless possibilities that its tri-tagonist system fosters, fans assumed that eventual story DLC for Grand Theft Auto 5 was a given upon its initial launch.
Many will argue that the game was simply too profitable, negating the need to pool resources into post-launch expansions. With the game re-releasing across several console generations and with Grand Theft Auto Online getting its own standalone release, the game currently sits as the second highest-selling title of all time. That being said, recent reports that supposedly confirm huge swathes of information regarding Grand Theft Auto 6 may indicate that Rockstar will approach the story of the new title differently from GTA 5, with post-launch DLC being very likely.
Post-launch DLC in Grand Theft Auto 6
Recently, the longstanding discourse surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6 exploded due to a report by Bloomberg that is full of information about the title. As well as suggesting that the game will take place in Vice City and contain a female protagonist for the first time in the series, additional post-launch locations were mentioned.
The Bloomberg report stated that Grand Theft Auto 6 will receive new cities after launch, suggesting a kind of live-service element to the game, which is thought to have a life-cycle beyond even that of GTA 5's. In this way, players can assume that the likelihood of post-launch expansions and DLC for GTA 6 is massive, being done on a scale and frequency never before seen in the franchise.
With these post-launch cities in Grand Theft Auto 6 likely being Central and South American, the value that they could provide in expanding and adding depth to the core story of the title is undoubtedly huge. Considering the utter absence of any such content within GTA 5, the implementation of such rigorous post-launch DLC in Grand Theft Auto 6 is sure to be welcomed by fans with open arms.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently in development.