If you've been worried that GTA Online wouldn't be released alongside Grand Theft Auto 6, today's report technically speaking will not ease your mind. If, however, you suspected that the inevitably massively popular multiplayer phenomenon wouldn't join its inevitably massively popular singleplayer phenomenon within a reasonable time frame, you can breathe easy.
Most easily anyway. Plans change and the development of AAA games is full to say the least. There's also the usual disclaimer for any claims of hush-hush inside information, but TheGhostOfHope has proven to be so legitimate that Activision Blizzard managed to get them to stop leaking Call of Duty content. So… yes.
Gives you time to finish the “actual” game, I guess
“It's up to you whether you want to believe me on this or not,” says Hope, “but when I hear from someone that the current plan for GTA 6 is to launch online within a month of the game's release.” Pretty straightforward, and from a fairly consistently reliable source. Againthings can change. But that is the purpose. And Rockstar has the fuel to potentially make it so.
There are already precedents as well, although I would caution against looking at how things worked in the industry over a dozen years ago compared to today. After all, Grand Theft Online in its current incarnation launched a few weeks after the infamous mothership title Grand Theft Auto 5. I double-checked this via Wikipedia, because honestly it's been so long I couldn't remember – but it was via an exchange on TheGhostOfHope's very own relevant Twitter thread that this first came to my attention:
“Wasn't it the same with gta v? The schedules might not match 100%, which is not unheard of for rockstar and gta,” one commenter pointed out, to which Hope jokingly replied that some people on the web have acted as if “[O]nline coming in the launch window would be amazing for this game.” Yeah, I guess not so much!
As for the eventual PC version, Hope isn't clear, but pointed out that “another person in the community who leaked the PC version is 12-18 months behind.” My dear friend Brandon, if you happen to read my article, I offer my deepest condolences. I know you'll be waiting, and honestly, you're about 200 times more hyped for this game than I am.
Reliable leaker says new permit could come next week
We may very well get our next State of Play very soon.
