GTA Online fans have been worried about what happens to the game after GTA 6 comes out, but it seems that fears about it being shut down are unwarranted.
GTA 5 officially stands as likely the single most lucrative piece of media ever created. It’s not because of the wild adventures of Michael, Trevor, and Franklin, though. It’s because GTA Online has been a steady revenue generator thanks to its wildly successful live-service model.
Despite GTA Online being a major success, it’s still inextricably tied to Grand Theft Auto 5. While GTA 6’s looming release and the repeated issues regarding hacking in GTA 5 foretell a major shakeup for GTA Online, a data miner found evidence that the game will likely keep running indefinitely.
GTA Online likely to stay alive after GTA 6 with modding support
Rockstar Games seems to be preparing for GTA Online to remain operational after GTA 6 releases, and beyond.
A prominent leaker and data miner was able located a hidden file named public_mission_creator. The file is only 1 KB but the name suggests Rockstar is planning to add user-made missions to GTA Online. This likely means that Rockstar won’t shut down GTA Online after the release of GTA 6, and will instead outsource development to fans. The file was added in June’s Bottom Dollar Bounties update in June.
Bottom Dollar Bounties is the latest update to GTA 5’s Online mode, and it introduced a plethora of content and missions to the game, including more than a dozen new cars. The update was released on June 25, with more content trickling in over the following weeks.
The empty file could indicate that this feature is in the early stages of development.
Greater access to modding tools has been integral to numerous enduring games. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Stardew Valley have become evergreen due to their robust modding communities. This applies to online multiplayer games too, with Games like Team Fortress 2 growing over time thanks to community servers and maps.
Rockstar surprised fans last year with the acquistion of Cfx.re, creators of the biggest GTA Online multiplayer role-play mods FiveM and RedM. This acquisition makes a bit more sense if the plan is to increase GTA Online’s lifespan with greater modding support.
Neither Rockstar Games nor Take-Two Interactive have confirmed any plans of this nature regarding GTA Online after GTA 6’s release. It’s also unclear whether Rockstar will fully turn GTA Online over to the community, whether it will have curated mods, or something else. Regardless, the game is too much of a cash cow die.
