Rockstar Games is keeping GTA 6 Online a secret as Take-Two CEO plots more monetization

Rockstar Games is keeping its plans for GTA 6 Online firmly under wraps, even as Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick discusses the untapped potential of monetizing gaming audiences.

GTA 6 launches for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, but Rockstar has only marketed the upcoming title as a “single-player experience.”

Despite the enormous success of GTA Online, the company has yet to reveal how its multiplayer successor will work, when it could arrive, or how players will spend money inside it.

Rockstar has ‘no plans’ to discuss GTA VI Online yet

Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier has now claimed fans should not expect those questions to be answered soon.

“They are not planning to talk anytime soon about what the new GTA Online will look like and what that recurring spend will look like,” Schreier said in a YouTube video discussing his recent interview with Zelnick.

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Schreier also said he does not expect GTA 6’s story mode to include microtransactions. However, he did not attribute the information about Rockstar’s online plans directly to Zelnick or identify his source.

The silence does not confirm that the next GTA Online has been delayed. Rockstar previously released the original multiplayer mode two weeks after GTA 5 arrived in 2013, meaning another staggered launch would not be unprecedented.

Take-Two says gaming has room for more monetization

In a separate interview with GamesBeat, Zelnick suggested the industry still has plenty of opportunities to expand how much money it makes from players.

“I think we’re scratching the surface still, both in terms of the size of the audience and the monetization of that audience,” he said.

Those comments were not specifically about Grand Theft Auto 6 Online. However, the current game remains a major long-term revenue source through Shark Cards, GTA+ subscriptions, and other recurrent spending.

Rockstar Games

Zelnick has also confirmed that Rockstar expects to continue supporting the existing GTA Online after GTA 6 launches, suggesting both products could operate alongside each other for at least some time.

Fans will get their next extended look at GTA 6 when Rockstar’s special premieres on Netflix on August 27. 

The presentation is designed to reach people who are not already planning to buy the game, but Schreier’s comments suggest GTA Online will remain absent from the spotlight.

As for why the extended look will debut on Netflix, Zelnick said that players will “understand” once they watch it, as the special will feel like watching a “must-see” TV show event.