- Primary Subject: Grand Theft Auto Online
- Key Update: Strauss Zelnick says GTA Online will continue receiving support as long as player engagement remains strong, even after GTA 6 launches.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: February 5, 2026
- Quick Answer: Take-Two says GTA Online isn’t being phased out for GTA 6; updates will continue as long as the player base stays active and content keeps driving engagement.
With hype growing for Grand Theft Auto VI, many players figured the current version of GTA Online would slowly fade out once the new title launches.
Remarks made by Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, point firmly in the opposite direction.
When asked about the future of GTA Online, he didn’t frame it as an aging mode nearing retirement.
Instead, he described it less as a one-off release and more as a live platform that endures while its community remains involved.
What Decides Whether GTA Online Continues to Be Supported?
Zelnick made it clear in earnings calls and interviews that continued support depends on how players engage, not on whether a sequel is launching.
He pointed to the fact that GTA Online still has a large, highly engaged community, and that whenever Rockstar releases meaningful new content, players return in significant numbers.
From a business perspective, ongoing support is a rational decision, not an emotional one.
According to him, there’s still strong justification to expect GTA Online to keep getting updates even once GTA 6 arrives, since new content continues to spark fresh waves of player activity. He reinforced that stance directly during an earnings call, saying:
To show this isn’t a one-off exception, Zelnick referenced how Take-Two has handled other long-running online games.
In at least one past case, a newer online installment launched without shutting down the original; both versions stayed live and served different segments of the audience.
A new game doesn’t instantly make an existing online platform obsolete if the community is still healthy. GTA Online fits that model closely — it’s not just historically successful, it’s still active in the present.
Another important takeaway from his statement is that GTA Online’s age isn’t seen as a weakness; instead, its ability to keep players engaged more than a decade after launch is considered proof of its staying power as a live service.
What Zelnick did not do is equally important. He didn’t outline how long GTA Online will be supported, didn’t describe how it might connect to any future online component tied to GTA 6, and didn’t promise shared progression or transfers.
His statements stop short of feature specifics. They function more as a strategic assurance that GTA Online isn’t on a countdown just because the franchise is entering a new era.
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