GTA Online in 2026: why Rockstar is in no rush to replace it
More than 12 years after launch, GTA Online keeps growing. What that means for GTA 6's online future.
One of the reasons GTA 5 keeps selling millions of copies a year, over a decade after launch, has a precise name: GTA Online.
Growth that defies the usual pattern
In the latest quarter reported by Take-Two Interactive, player recurrent spending across Rockstar titles grew 23% year-over-year, with GTA Online alone up 27%. Those are unusual numbers for a product launched in 2013: most multiplayer games lose momentum after a few years, while GTA Online keeps expanding through regular updates with new vehicles, heists, and modes.
Why it matters for GTA 6
GTA Online's prolonged success explains several strategic choices around GTA 6: Rockstar can afford to take all the time it needs for the new chapter (including two delays) precisely because GTA 5 keeps generating massive revenue in the meantime. An online component will likely play a similar role in GTA 6's future too, though Rockstar hasn't shared official details on how it will be structured.