Behind Grand Theft Auto 6 hides an even more titanic launch

Assuming there are no further delays — which is far from guaranteed — this is the year that we will finally get our hands on Grand Theft Auto 6. It feels like a strangely fraught occasion, for such a titanic launch to occur at a time where the video game industry has never seemed more precarious. While the Grand Theft Auto 6 campaign is certainly going to be a landmark that influences the industry and amazes gamers, there’s an even bigger launch that’s shrouded in mystery: Grand Theft Auto Online 2. We don’t even know if it’s called Grand Theft Auto Online 2, but it seems like a safe bet.

GTA Online has turned into a massive success since its launch in 2013, months after the campaign’s release. Originally bundled with GTA5, it helped boost the lifetime sales of the game past a stunning 220 million, and kept the game relevant in the cultural zeitgeist. When you add in fan-run roleplay servers, social media memes, and a steady stream of updates, it’s clear that Rockstar have managed to remain firmly rooted in the public’s consciousness. This long-term, continual success isn’t from a really good story campaign: it comes, in large part, from GTA Online. 

While gamers prepare themselves for the next big adventure with Jason and Lucia in Vice City and the surrounding state, GTA Online still enjoys a healthy playerbase. The most recent update was in Dec. 2025, called a Safehouse in the Hills, and it allows players to buy a luxurious mansion. At this point, a player can run a nightclub, a taxi business, a motorcycle club, a meth lab, a doomsday bunker with the capacity for orbital launches, and a dozen other illicit businesses. If you’re tired of all that work, why not kickback and play card games in the casino, play a few rounds of golf, or fly a motorcycle with lock-on missiles? 

There’s a reason why Rockstar doesn't release single-player campaign updates anymore, like they did with previous GTA installments — the time and energy is better spent online. A gamer might buy a DLC once, but they can be convinced to buy Shark Cards and a monthly subscription forever. 

It’s easy to forget that, at launch, GTA Online was an absolute mess. I remember trying to give it a spin with friends, only to experience constant crashes and other fatal errors. The original version of GTA Online was so bad that Rockstar ended up shelling out millions of in-game dollars to players, but it would take years to add things worth spending those dollars on.

Heists, a major part of the Grand Theft Auto 5 campaign, and a highly anticipated piece of content, wouldn’t come out until 2015. Those heists, while fun, weren’t particularly elaborate and could be quickly completed. It wouldn’t be until 2019, with the Diamond Casino update, that players would be able to get their hands on more comprehensive criminal escapades. The Cayo Perico update in 2020 was substantial, adding another heist set on a tropical island. In addition to big, sweeping heists, Rockstar has added smaller mission chains and activities over the years, including activities that aren’t strictly criminal, like riding in Tron-style races, or being a legitimate businessman.