GTA 6 is a “single-player experience,” Rockstar has confirmed in a note sent to IGN, as well as on storefronts where you can now preorder the game. This suggests the $80 base game does not include any new version of GTA Online, should such an experience be in the works.

While many are assuming Rockstar plans to release a new and improved GTA Online at some point in the future, there remains questions over how it will be released. Will Rockstar release a new GTA Online for free within GTA 6? Or will it release it as a standalone experience, potentially charging more?

Rockstar’s announcements today have made it clear that the existing GTA Online is the focus for now. A digital preorder gets you a free month of GTA+, with Rockstar referencing GTA Online in its press release:

"Experience the dynamic blockbuster GTA Online now with the best way to get the most out of its ever-evolving world. Pre-order any edition of Grand Theft Auto VI on the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store and get one free month of GTA+ — featuring a recurring monthly GTA$500,000 deposit into your GTA Online character's bank account, access to special Shark Cards with 15% bonus GTA$, access to free and discounted GTA Online vehicles, a rotating selection of classic Rockstar Games titles and other featured games in the GTA+ Games Library, and much more."

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the lack of a new GTA Online for GTA 6 at launch. GTA Online continues to print money for Rockstar and parent company Take-Two, and its availability on PC, where GTA 6 will not be available day one, will surely maintain its momentum even as GTA 6 hits PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.

Last year, IGN asked Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick about the fate of GTA Online, and in his response he referenced NBA 2K Online, the free-to-play online-focused version of 2K Sports’ hugely successful basketball franchise aimed at the Asian market. NBA 2K Online launched all the way back in 2012, and then 2K Sports released NBA 2K Online 2 in 2017. Both games were maintained simultaneously, so fans of the first version could continue to play and invest their time and money safe in the knowledge they wouldn’t be left behind.

“I'm going to speak theoretically only because I'm not going to talk about a particular project when an announcement hasn't been made,” Zelnick began. “But generally speaking, we support our properties when the consumers are involved with those titles. As an example, we launched NBA 2K Online in China, I think originally in 2012 if I'm not mistaken. And then we launched NBA 2K Online 2 in China in 2017. If I'm not mistaken. We did not sunset Online 1. They both are still in the market and they serve consumers and they're alive and we have this massive audience.

“So we've shown a willingness to support legacy titles when a community wants to be engaged with them.”

That last line is of particular importance. It suggests — but doesn’t confirm at this stage — that if there is a GTA Online 2, it won’t come at the cost of GTA Online falling by the wayside. If people keep playing GTA Online, Zelnick is suggesting here, then Rockstar will continue to support it.

So, while a new GTA Online feels inevitable, perhaps fans shouldn’t hold their breath for its release. While you wait, we've got plenty more on GTA 6 following today's announcement, including confirmation of the GTA 6 price, over 60 new GTA 6 screenshots, and Sony's boast that GTA 6 "plays best" on PS5.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.