When it comes to GTA 6, one question keeps popping up among fans. They wonder if Rockstar Games will focus more on online play than single-player campaigns. This is a valid concern, given how successful GTA Online has been for Rockstar. To predict what might happen, we can look at Rockstar’s past decisions and business strategy for clues.
Will Rockstar Focus on Online Play for GTA 6 Financial Success?
Let’s face the facts: GTA Online makes serious money. According to the last report, since GTA V came out in September 2013, the Grand Theft Auto series has made around $9.54 billion in total revenue by the end of 2024. While about $5-6 billion likely came from game sales (with approximately 210 million copies sold), that leaves roughly $3.5 billion from GTA Online alone through microtransactions and in-game purchases.
With numbers like these, it’s no wonder fans worry that Rockstar might shift their focus entirely to the online experience. After all, money talks, and GTA Online speaks volumes with its revenue stream.
Why a Strong Single-Player Campaign Still Matters for GTA 6
Even though GTA Online has made a lot of money, there are good reasons to believe Rockstar will still keep making strong single-player stories and won’t cut them back too much:
1. The Red Dead Redemption 2 Factor
The strongest proof that Rockstar won’t focus only on online play is their most recent major release: Red Dead Redemption 2. Even though they knew online modes could make a lot of money, Rockstar still created one of the biggest, most detailed, and most praised single-player games ever with RDR2. They spent years building a deep story with complex characters and a rich world, showing they are still very committed to storytelling.
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2. Rockstar’s Legacy of Storytelling
Rockstar has built its reputation on creating groundbreaking narrative experiences. From the earlier GTA titles to Max Payne, Bully, and Manhunt, storytelling sits at the core of Rockstar’s identity. As one fan accurately pointed out, “Rockstar makes STORY games, don’t forget that.”
Balancing Rockstar’s Focus on GTA 6 Online Play with Single-Player
Based on Rockstar’s history and how they run their business, GTA 6 will likely have a full, high-quality single-player story that pushes storytelling and open-world design even further. The online mode is expected to launch right away, instead of coming later like it did with GTA 5.
There will probably be stronger connections between the single-player and online experiences. While Rockstar will likely put more resources into GTA 6 Online than before, it shouldn’t come at the cost of the single-player campaign.
So, will Rockstar focus more on GTA 6 Online than they did with previous games? Almost certainly yes. Will they abandon or significantly reduce the single-player experience? Almost certainly no. They have found huge success by offering both a strong single-player story and a profitable online mode within the same game.
When you have a formula that’s breaking entertainment industry records and generating billions in revenue, you don’t abandon it, you refine and expand it. For GTA 6, expect the best of both worlds: a groundbreaking single-player campaign and an even bigger online world. Rockstar knows the single-player side isn’t just important to fans. It’s actually the base that their online success depends on.