If you're a fan of Grand Theft Auto 5, there's a good chance you're currently busy with “A Safehouse in the Hills,” the latest DLC for GTA Online that managed to bring Michael de Santa back after more than a decade while essentially confirming which of GTA 5's three main endings is canon.
If you're somehow not a fan of GTA Online, then you're probably patiently waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6, hoping – like many others – that there won't be a third delay.
That said, thanks to some data miners, it appears that “A Safehouse in the Hills” is not some random one-off update for GTA Online. Instead, it looks like, based on available information, it's been in the works for some time, at least since September 2024.
The discovery, which was made by Rockstar Games superfan, Ben, shows an effective date of September 23, 2024. Also, it seems that there could be more on the way, or at least there is hope for that scenario.
Whether that ultimately turns out to be true remains to be seen. However, some in the GTA Online community believe that “A Safehouse in the Hills” was meant to be bigger and act as a final “major” update before GTA 6.
What GTA 6's delay means for the gaming industry
The entire release calendar moves every time GTA 6 does, so how will the latest delay affect everything else?
But with GTA 6's delay, things could have been split in half to provide content to make up for the lack of available stuff.
Earlier today, as my colleague George Foster wrote, some GTA Online fans are similarly convinced that Rockstar has “back-ported” features originally intended for GTA 6 into GTA 5.
Yes, there is a lot of “GTA (Insert Name or Number Here)” in this article. I'm not the only one who wishes there was some simpler naming convention, like when there was San Andreas or Vice City.
Specifically, a towel that was shown in one of GTA 6's trailers has seemingly been made available in GTA Online, a towel that looks very realistic.
The presence of a gym and the ability to exercise has also seemingly taken a step back in time.
It's unclear if Rockstar is experimenting with its real-time features and trying to solicit feedback on things that will be available next year, or a combination of the two. It's clear that there's a lot more to “A Safehouse in the Hills” than meets the eye.
- Released
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September 17, 2013
- ESRB
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M for Adults 17+ due to blood and gore, intense violence, mature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs and alcohol
- Developer
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Rockstar North
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