With the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI’s story mode set, one of the community’s biggest questions is: Will I be able to play with my friends in Leonida from the very first minute?
Although Rockstar remains absolutely silent about the game’s multiplayer facet (and about the integration of FiveM creators, Cfx.re), the company’s historical precedents leave us a very clear clue: we will probably have to wait.
Rockstar Games’ Track Record
Rockstar has a very distinct philosophy: they want players to first immerse themselves in the narrative masterpiece they have built for years before jumping into the chaos of the online mode.
- GTA V (2013): The base game was released on September 17. GTA Online opened its doors two weeks later, on October 1.
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018): The game came out on October 26. Red Dead Online began its public beta phase over a month later, in late November.
Why delay the Online?
There are two main reasons for this strategy:
- Server Overload: Splitting the launch into two dates mitigates the massive impact on servers. Millions of people connecting on day 1 to the Online would destroy any company’s infrastructure.
- Respect for the Campaign: Rockstar invests hundreds of millions of dollars in Lucia and Jason’s story. They want players to explore the map, understand the new physics, and enjoy the script without the distraction of competitive multiplayer.
What does this mean for Roleplay?
If the hypothetical “GTA Online 2” comes out weeks or months after the base game, roleplay servers will take even longer.
Whether Rockstar offers official native roleplay servers, or relies on Cfx.re developers to update their third-party clients (FiveM), adapting the map, syncing inventories, and creating scripts (jobs, police, dealerships) will take programming time on the new RAGE engine.
Our advice: Enjoy the campaign, squeeze every secret out of the state of Leonida, and calmly start thinking about your future character’s story. The wait will be worth it.