GTA 6 is a 'singleplayer experience,' GTA Online may be sold separately

Grand Theft Auto 6 might not have an integrated GTA Online component--Rockstar says the game is a "singleplayer experience."

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Today, Rockstar Games confirmed GTA 6 will cost $80, and that physical editions of the game will ship with a code in a box (there will be no disc version of GTA 6). New info about the game is coming out across all channels, and a new FAQ on the PlayStation Store might indicate GTA 6 is a standalone singleplayer-only game (at least for now).

The FAQ clearly asks if GTA 6 will have any multiplayer modes or features, with a curt response: "Grand Theft Auto VI is a single-player experience." This strongly indicates that if GTA 6 does get online support (which it should, in some way), that it will be released as a standalone product and decouple the main game from the online mode.

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The Xbox store listing further reiterates this fact: "Grand Theft Auto VI is a single-player experience."

This language is also used in Rockstar's own official press release materials, which state:

"The biggest and most immersive evolution of the series yet, Grand Theft Auto VI features a single player experience launching on November 19 to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S."

Rockstar Games already split off the online mode with GTA V's release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, where the studio split story and online modes and opted to sell them separately for reduced prices for each.

This gave Rockstar lots of flexibility in how gamers interact with the game itself--which has splintered into two very distinct offerings--and many analysts believed and took for granted that Rockstar would simply ship GTA Online as a free component within GTA 6's base game.

If I had to guess, I would say that Rockstar is currently preparing to essentially translate the existing version of GTA Online, which takes place in Los Santos, to the other side of the country in Vice City's crime-ridden streets.

It's possible we could see the current iteration of GTA Online go into retirement as Rockstar moves into the next version, however, all of this takes time and a lot of manpower and money, so it's possible that the new version of GTA Online simply isn't ready yet.

GTA+ would probably be involved in this process in some way, potentially offering access to GTA Online by default while also adding in extras and bonuses like vehicles and weapons.