Ever since its inception, Grand Theft Auto Online has been a massive success for Rockstar. It has been the focal point of Grand Theft Auto 5 and the Grand Theft Auto franchise for years, and that will not change anytime soon. However, as Grand Theft Auto 6 looms on the horizon, Grand Theft Auto Online's days may be numbered.
There is no news on when Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch, nor has there been any official news about it. Players will likely have to wait a long time before the sequel arrives, but the end of Grand Theft Auto Online may be near. While there is still a plethora of content on the horizon, no king rules forever, and this online game may be well past its prime.
GTA Online is a Massive Sensation
Grand Theft Auto 5 was a massive success for Rockstar, but no one could have predicted just how popular Grand Theft Auto Online would be. The franchise had dabbled with multiplayer with Grand Theft Auto 4, but GTA Online was taking it to an entirely different level. At launch, it let up to 30 players engage in all sorts of mayhem throughout San Andreas together, and it has only grown since.
Since its launch in 2013, Rockstar has expanded Grand Theft Auto Online considerably with countless free updates. These updates have added new activities, new cosmetics, new stories, and hundreds of new things for players to purchase. This consistent content stream has kept players coming back for more every month and has pushed Grand Theft Auto 5's earnings over $7 billion.
Grand Theft Auto Online has been around for over 10 years, and the content is still coming. While the game may show its age, it still seems extremely profitable for Rockstar. Players are still logging on in droves to experience the latest content and are spending massive amounts of money on microtransactions. It does not seem like GTA Online will ever die out, but its end may be sooner than some realize.
GTA Online’s End May Be on the Horizon
Grand Theft Auto Online may be past its prime as it has been around for 10 years. The game's rough edges are more apparent, and the open-world genre has changed drastically since it hit store shelves. Grand Theft Auto 5 is not the king of the genre anymore as even Rockstar's own Red Dead Redemption 2 was miles ahead of it. The studio has likely shifted most of its focus to Grand Theft Auto 6, but it has not left GTA Online behind just yet.
While Grand Theft Auto Online still gets updates, the content stream has slowed down. There was a time when the game would get around eight major content updates a year, but 2022 only saw two. There just seem to be fewer updates, and these updates are way more spread out. 2023 has only gotten one larger update, and that just added a new series of contact missions. These updates are still adding a decent chunk of content, but Rockstar's output is definitely getting smaller.
Grand Theft Auto Online will likely continue to be profitable until Grand Theft Auto 6 launches with its own version. The game is still a behemoth, but it feels like its end looms on the horizon. The content update stream is slower, the cracks are more prevalent, and players may slowly turn to other things. It still has a couple of years left, but the reaper may come knocking on Rockstar's door soon.
Grand Theft Auto Online is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.