A Late Flight to Vice City
Grand Theft Auto VI's release is ever-inching closer to us, though it doesn't quite feel fast enough. While so far, we've only had one glimpse into the game with last year's reveal trailer - that hasn't slowed down the intense levels of speculation, wish-listing, and general hype around the game. Well, today, I'm building into that with this article.
GTA VI's Online mode is perhaps the most mysterious element of the game, with nothing having been really said or even credibly leaked about it. This has caused the community's speculation on the multiplayer to have some of the most varied theories out there - but utilising common sense we can safely assume a few elements of the game; It will be an open-world sandbox, starring custom characters, a simple narrative, and feature a variety of business ventures and missions to build into.
While this has become the formula we know and love for the Rockstar Games Online titles, we should remember the launches of both the current version of GTA Online, and the recent Red Dead Online which launched in a similar state - a state not as easily accepted by modern standards. Both games released with not much content, a challenge to make money, and generally a more social aspect to the worlds they inhabited. While this worked in 2013, by the time 2018 came around, players were already looking for more content to rival the abundance of live service titles on the market by that year. Seven years after the release of Red Dead Online, 2025 will hold even higher expectations for GTA VI's multiplayer experience so I wanted to list the five biggest elements it needs to ensure it's an instant success on Day 1.
Cross-Platform Play between Xbox and PlayStation.
When GTA VI releases in 2025 (Allegedly), it will be launching on only PlayStation and Xbox consoles - with PC undoubtedly coming approximately a year later. This seems to be the standard for a Rockstar release nowadays, but there's one wider gaming industry standard for Online titles they seem to always forget; Cross-platform play.
The ability to play with friends regardless if you're on Xbox or PlayStation consoles has become a standard for Online titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, Rocket League, Minecraft, and many more. This means fans don't need to shell out nearly a thousand of their local currency buying two current-generation game consoles and two copies of the same videogame to play with all of their friends. In a world where everyone is becoming more strapped for money, and several countries are facing a financial crisis, this seems like a required feature so everyone can enjoy some high-quality escapism in Vice City.
Of course, when it comes to the game on PC, there are lots of things to take into consideration when viewing the current iterations of GTA Online and Red Dead Online with the abundance of modders and hackers. Perhaps for security, unless this is solved, it would be best to leave that platform out until a later date. However, this does take us onto our second topic;
Improved Online Stability: Anti-Cheat and Dedicated Servers (Lots of Them)
Another well-justified staple of current-day Online titles is their requirement for stability and security. Grand Theft Auto Online on PC is famously full of hackers teleporting across the map to perform unspeakable acts on innocent career criminals trying to make a dishonest living in Los Santos. After eleven years, and with the convenience of invite-only lobbies, this has become somewhat of a joke that people have come to accept the reality of right now. That all changes when everyone is on fresh new ground and trying to enjoy a new experience, only for it to be ruined by XxMoEMeetsL3ST3RxX riding a flying alligator launching heat-seeking rainbow rockets at them.
More and more recently, we've seen games come and go in a flash due to a lack of polish, to be forgotten in a pile of other live-service attempts. Thankfully, outside of outsourced remasters, this seems to be a phenomenon Rockstar is immune to thanks to their world-famous attention to detail and affinity for releasing completed and working games. For this reason, we can hope Rockstar took onboard community feedback and planned the next iteration of GTA Online to be built to last with dedicated servers compared to the peer-to-peer system we have had for over a decade now.
Content / Economy Balance
When GTA Online launched in 2013, there was not a lot of content, and that was fine. Before the live service boom, we only needed a couple missions and races to satisfy us and load our pockets with enough change to purchase the most expensive car and apartment in the game at that time. Five years later, Red Dead Online launched in a similar state in terms of content, but all items were extortionately priced (Even by today's standards, let alone 1899) - this caused players to outrage, eventually leading Rockstar to rebalance the pricing of items ingame. By this point, between the lack of content and slow releases between updates, the damage had already been done. Red Dead Online was never allowed to gain the traction of its older and more popular brother, nor reach it's full potential, which meant Rockstar couldn't justify continuing full-time support for the game and axed plans for future updates in 2022 following a year of silence and fans begging via the #SaveRedDeadOnline movement.
GTA VI Online can not launch in this state, and must have a wide variety of decent-quality generalised content at launch, with more specialised focuses coming at a later date in order to catch all players. A decent handful of instanced lobby and freemode missions themed around generalised criminal content, with a selection of races, PVP modes and minigames will ensure that the game has a healthy enough balance for players to begin with. Having one or two in-depth heists for the endgame, as well as some ventures to sink time into will ensure players will have a strong repeatable time-sink to earn the money they need at a satisfying pace. It is essential that more high-stakes content such as criminal ventures or heists do not take over a year to be added, as those are the types of content people interact with most, causing them to get stale more quickly.
Distractions, Side Objectives and Social Activities
One thing GTA Online did launch with in 2013 was a buffet of fun little distractions for players to try out together to pass the time. Golf, arm wrestling, tennis and darts were all legitimate fun pastimes that didn't offer any true rewards outside time spent socialising and laughing with friends. These help break up the continuous grind and work of GTA, and it wouldn't be the same without them.
Thankfully, it seems Rockstar do remember to enjoy the little things, as throughout GTA Online's updates - we have had more of these added. Players can now also indulge in up-close dancing at nightclubs and on Cayo Perico beaches, risk losing it all to win big in the Diamond Casino and Resort, host Penthouse parties, go for the high-score in the Arcade, take lessons at the Flight School, chill out on their yachts with friends, drift around in the Car Meet, or hang out with Dr Dre as he produces new beats.
Goals, Objectives, and Aspirational Rewards; A True Feeling of Progression
Now, what is the point in having lots of money and RP if you don't have anything to spend it on. The main motivator for players to play games with a grind and lots of content is the rewards - Nothing beats having a shiny new item to help make your life easier, or to just flex on your friends because you're just that kind of person. Obviously, GTA VI will launch with a fleet of exciting new vehicles of varying styles and qualities, and an arsenal of weapons that would make some armies jealous, but there's more for players to chase than guns and cars:
- Clothing, hairstyles, tattoos and piercings are one element, allowing players to more accurately build a character that represents either them, or who they want to be in Leonida.
- Apartments, with the ability to decorate with unique collectables, loot, and expensive trinkets ensures another level of expression and flexing.
- Red Dead Online's ability cards were a fun way for players to pursue build-crafting, and having a few options in GTA VI to help players determine what their speciality will be really emphasises a focus on teamwork and putting together the best crew for any job!
Are you excited to see where GTA Online goes next? Let us know on our Twitter and Bluesky accounts, or feel free to comment on this article! Be sure to follow for more Rockstar Games content and stay in the loop with all you need to know!