Even though the game is just a few years short of being a decade old, the fifth game in the Grand Theft Auto series continues to remain evergreen. Grand Theft Auto Online continues to be consistently popular on all platforms, leading to Grand Theft Auto 5 occasionally topping sales charts as additional updates are released. Even in 2021, GTA 5's online component continues to receive major expansions, like "The Contract," which brought back iconic characters from the singleplayer alongside Dr. Dre. However, even putting aside the general popularity of Grand Theft Auto Online and all of the base content, Twitch viewership has surged thanks to the advent of Roleplay.
Grand Theft Auto 5 was the most-watched game on Twitch in 2021, and that wasn't just because of Grand Theft Auto Online's success alone. Rather, custom roleplay servers and mods served to entertain many, as several of the biggest streamers on the platform all dipped their toes into some GTA RP. Twitch's category for Grand Theft Auto 5 is often dominated by streamers such as Sykkuno, Kyle, Buddha, and other regular Roleplay streamers who are often broadcasting their characters to the world. A Grand Theft Auto Online mod has led to one of the most successful game categories on Twitch, something Rockstar Games has seldom recognized or acknowledged publicly.
GTA RP Caused The Explosion In Popularity On Twitch
Obviously Roleplay does not account for all of Grand Theft Auto Online's total viewership on Twitch, but it's not a stretch that the mod dominates a majority of the game's viewership. The sheer diversity in characters has kept viewers coming back to their favorite Roleplay characters on Twitch, many of whom have come into contact with various other streamers who populate the same server.
Given the breadth of the mod, on top of the various things players could already do in Grand Theft Auto Online's sandbox, it's almost as if literally anything can happen in a Grand Theft Auto Online Roleplay session. Various storylines between Roleplay characters have become iconic, from memes to genuine emotional moments, all perpetuated by the personalities in GTA RP.
All of this is without Rockstar Games sanctioning Roleplay or supporting it in any way; Roleplay is an entirely community-organized mod that's grown solely through the popularity and widespread passion of the community. Organizations and servers like NoPixel, TwitchRP, EclipseRP, and more have all grown massively in popularity alongside Roleplay's success on Twitch. Servers like NoPixel in particular have had to close applications to join the 32-player server because of how popular the mods have become for Grand Theft Auto Online. Given the mod's popularity, it's almost unthinkable that Grand Theft Auto Roleplay has been able to run this long without issue.
Rockstar's Unclear Relationship with GTA Roleplay
Typically Rockstar Games, or more accurately Take-Two Interactive, has been very quick to shutdown fan mods of certain games that could potentially infringe on its IP. Yet, for all the graphical, environment, or gameplay overhaul mods designed for Grand Theft Auto 5, Roleplay seems to be the most substantial. Players are joining on custom fan-managed servers, utilizing a surprisingly robust system of custom character actions and commands, among various other customized tools and systems implemented into Roleplay to make the experience as grounded and complex as possible. Roleplay moves far beyond the scope of Grand Theft Auto Online.
Which begs the question of how Rockstar Games (and Take-Two Interactive) will address Roleplay in the future for Grand Theft Auto Online? Whether that's through the current iteration in Grand Theft Auto 5, in potential future updates, or as part of the next Grand Theft Auto game, Roleplay has staying popularity on Twitch. Grand Theft Auto roleplay, at least in its most current form, has already been around for a few years. Is there a world where Rockstar Games acknowledges Roleplay as an official option in Grand Theft Auto Online? Rockstar Games already does something relatively similar with the way Rockstar Editor allows players to record and edit gameplay.
Rockstar Games could certainly give Roleplay a significant boost if it's offered as an official option of play, even if that's unlikely. Server size and quantity could be expanded significantly, among other potential gameplay improvements the company could make. Otherwise, the alternative would be to just let Grand Theft Auto Roleplay mods coexist along with the official Grand Theft Auto Online without taking any action at all. Roleplay has already thrived plenty without the developer's assistance, but that doesn't mean things couldn't change with the new Grand Theft Auto title. Perhaps modders will just quickly move on to developing a new version of GTA Roleplay.
Either way, GTA RP existing as it does makes for a very strange relationship with Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive, especially given the publisher's usual disposition regarding fan mods. At this time, Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games have not taken any particular action against Roleplay servers, but hasn't publicly supported the mods either. It's not hard to imagine the potential of an official Rockstar-supported Roleplay system in-game, especially for console players, but perhaps that may be way outside the scope of Rockstar Games' desires for Grand Theft Auto. If so, Roleplay will absolutely continue to live on thanks to the fan community.