New GTA Online Updates Raise A Difficult GTA 6 Question

Rockstar Games continues to update Grand Theft Auto Online nearly 10 years after launch, but this ongoing support might make the transition to Grand Theft Auto 6 difficult for fans. The multiplayer open-world crime simulator launched shortly after GTA 5, and the online experience has long outlived the post-launch support of its single-player counterpart. Now with Grand Theft Auto 6 officially on the way, GTA Online players might soon be forced to start over.

Since the multiplayer title’s launch in 2013, Rockstar Games has released various GTA Online updates to keep the experience fresh and new. For example, the robust Los Santos Drug Wars update arrived on December 13 and added a whole new immoral career path for player to pursue. The large update lets players cook and sell their own psychedelic drugs from a mobile lab, becoming a GTA Online version of Heisenberg from Breaking Bad. This big December update also introduced other improvements, like ray-tracing reflections on new-generation consoles, and made some Custom Weaponized Vehicles usable in the online game’s races.

GTA Online May Be Reborn With GTA 6

While ongoing GTA Online updates are certainly welcome, continued additions to the game could make the inevitable transition to Grand Theft Auto 6 even harder to stomach. Most fans expect that GTA 6 will start again with GTA Online, wiping the slate clean and beginning again on a brand-new platform. This could create an even more robust and immersive multiplayer experience, with Rockstar using modern hardware to create an even larger and more detailed open-world map for players to explore together. Current-generation graphics could let this new version of GTA Online boast enhanced custom character models and vehicles, but this change may also wipe away a decade of player progress.

GTA 6 May Bring An End To GTA Online

The thought of a modernized GTA Online is certainly appealing, but the transition to GTA 6 will likely force fans to leave their hard-earned currency and equipment behind. Perhaps Rockstar Games could let players move their current GTA Online accounts into GTA 6, letting them keep their hard-earned Shark Cards. However, its would be impossible to make GTA Online’s items carry into GTA 6 because it would severely hamper the sequel’s graphics capability and gameplay innovations. Outfits, vehicles and weapons will be left behind to make way for enhanced models, customization systems and combat balance. With ongoing GTA Online updates adding more and more content for players to experience, this inevitable transition only gets more painful.

Grand Theft Auto Online continues to be a big success, with Rockstar still supporting the multiplayer experience even after the death of 2018’s Red Dead Online. Post-launch support like the Los Santos Drug Wars update continues to roll out, making the online crime simulator a constantly evolving experience. The release of GTA 6 will likely bring with it a modernized online mode that takes advantage of today’s hardware and gameplay innovations. However, this new version of Grand Theft Auto Online will likely be bittersweet for those that have amassed a virtual fortune through the game’s various updates.