GTA 6 Could Evolve Into an MMORPG as Many of Its Planned Features Belong to the Genre, Developer Has Heard

GTA 6 is the game that most of the industry has to deal with, one way or another. Its arguably unprecedented (but well deserved, given that GTA 5 is the second best-selling game of all time) hype means developers and publishers of all sizes are doing everything they can to steer clear of its launch date, which, however, has already shifted twice, disrupting many plans and threatening the very livelihood of certain companies. It’s a topic we covered often and in various nuances, including Goichi Suda’s recent quip that his new game, Romeo Is a Dead Man, ‘won the game of chicken against GTA 6’.

What we weren’t really expecting to cover is Rockstar’s game attached to the flailing MMORPG genre. And yet, that’s what we must do following the statement of an industry veteran. In our fresh, exclusive interview about the state of the MMORPG among Western developers, Rich Vogel, whose career credits include titles like Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Doom (2016), New World, Halo Infinite, and Gotham Knights, revealed to have heard that many of GTA 6’s planned features, if confirmed, would place it on a path to evolve into an MMORPG.

Here’s the exact response we got from Vogel when we asked him (and other two MMO vets) whether there’s still an audience for a big Western-made massively multiplayer online game:

Yes, I believe a large audience is waiting for the right MMORPG to emerge. Consider the millions of players who have played and continue to play WOW, SWTOR, ESO, UO, EverQuest, Fallout 76, and others. The problem is that no publisher is willing to invest the money and take the risk at this time. My instinct tells me that the next major MMORPG will likely come from Asia and/or Europe. If what I have been hearing about GTA 6’s features and gameplay is true, it could evolve into an MMORPG, as many of its planned features are typically found in MMORPGs.

Now, first of all, he’s obviously referring to the online mode. While Rockstar hasn’t shared any actual details about the game yet except for the setting and the identity of the protagonists, it’s a fair bet that there will be a traditional, narrative-driven single player campaign and a separate online mode, just like with GTA 5.

Secondly, Vogel makes no mystery of the fact that he didn’t actually work on the next Grand Theft Auto game, so this is second-hand information and should be treated as a rumor. Does it even make sense as an evolution of GTA Online in GTA 6, though?

We’d argue so. GTA 5 has already made a big step toward an online persistent world compared to GTA 4’s more limited, session-based multiplayer, and its success was so massive that it overshadowed everything else at the studio, foregoing any need for story-based DLCs like GTA 4’s The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, with new story beats instead deployed to GTA Online.

Moreover, a large hint that this might indeed be the direction Rockstar has taken is the studio’s acquisition of FiveM maker Cfx.re back in August 2023. FiveM, a community-driven modification of GTA 5’s base multiplayer, introduced MMORPG-like features such as dedicated servers, far higher player count per session, and the ability to roleplay as a specific role, like a paramedic, a police officer, and many more careers. FiveM became so popular that at one point, it surpassed the concurrent player count of regular GTA 5 Online multiplayer on Valve’s Steam. It also significantly contributed to making GTA 5 a consistently high ranking category on streaming platforms like Twitch.

The continued popularity of FiveM shows that there is indeed an appetite for a more persistent, roleplay-inspired experience with larger player counts among the GTA community. Of course, it is unlikely that GTA 6’s Online mode will be anything like traditional MMORPGs such as Blizzard’s World of Warcraft or even ZeniMax’s more recent The Elder Scrolls Online. However, it is entirely possible and even likely that it may incorporate some of their features to engage players in a more seamless, persistent, and immersive living world.

It may not be until well into next year before Rockstar Games shares any official details. Meanwhile, though, we’ll keep our ears to the ground for more rumors and leaks about next year’s most anticipated game, scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X.

[UPDATE – December 23, 2025] A former Rockstar Games animator believes that the game won’t be delayed a third time. He also reckons the price will be $70 and certainly not $100. You can read his words here.

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