4 February 2026

Take-Two Addresses the Future of GTA Online After GTA 6

By newsgame

Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, has addressed what the future of GTA Online could look like after the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 launches later this year. While it’s common knowledge that Grand Theft Auto 6 will finally release on November 19 (assuming there are no further delays), it has remained a mystery what its arrival will mean for GTA Online, the multiplayer counterpart to Grand Theft Auto 5 that has been going strong for 13 years now.

It’s been over 2 years now since Rockstar gave fans their very first official look at the next Grand Theft Auto entry, but its release finally appears to be drawing closer. Grand Theft Auto 6 was initially due to launch in Fall 2025, before being delayed to May 26, 2026, and then once again to November 19. Many have speculated that the sheer scope of Grand Theft Auto 6 could result in another delay, but a recent quarterly earnings call seemingly dismissed those theories, as Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said the company is confident in its current release date and even revealed that marketing for the title will begin in the Summer.

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GTA Online May Continue After Grand Theft Auto 6 Release

During the February 3 quarterly earnings call for Take-Two Interactive, CEO Strauss Zelnick also briefly touched upon the future of GTA Online. Many have expected the multiplayer title to be put to rest after the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, presumably because a follow-up, a GTA Online 2, if you will, will launch around the same time. However, it looks like it might not be going anywhere after all, as Zelnick said, “I have every reason to believe we’ll continue to supportGTA Online” (Thanks, Kotaku). The CEO then goes on to say, “There’s a great community that loves it, that stays engaged. And again in this quarter, Rockstar has shown that when you deliver great additional content, despite how long [GTA Online] has been at market, people show up.”

This isn’t really surprising. After all, Take-Two is a business, and it will go where the money goes. If GTA Online is still generating tons of revenue via Shark Cards, it’s going to ensure that Rockstar keeps providing players with new content. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a new GTA Online for Grand Theft Auto 6. Rumors, leaks, and even recent court documents have all suggested that the next installment in the series will have its own online component. An ongoing court battle between Rockstar and former employees revealed that Grand Theft Auto 6 Online may have 32-player lobbies, similar to the current iteration.

The continued success of Grand Theft Auto 5 also makes this news less surprising, as the 13-year-old title continues to be an absolute powerhouse, selling millions of copies every quarter. The recent release of GTA Online‘s A Safehouse in the Hills update saw a 30% increase in consumer spending, according to Zelnick, while Grand Theft Auto 5 has now sold 225 million copies since its launch in 2013. This figure has, of course, been helped along by numerous re-releases on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Still, it’s cemented itself as one of the best-selling video games of all time, a massive feat that will give Take-Two huge confidence going into the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 this year.

Zelnick also dismissed recent rumors that Grand Theft Auto 6 wouldn’t have a physical release until 2027 to avoid spoilers leaking online before the game’s official release. During yesterday’s quarterly earnings call, the CEO said a digital-only release is “not the plan,” suggesting physical copies will also be available on November 19. As of writing, Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19, 2026. There has been no official word on when or if the title will come to PC.