GTA Online’s Biggest Chapter May Be Ending This July 14
After more than a decade, Grand Theft Auto Online may finally be reaching the end of its biggest content run. The multiplayer mode debuted in 2013, not long after Grand Theft Auto 5 arrived, and it quickly became the game’s online home base. While many expected the launch to be successful, the reality far exceeded those assumptions—GTA Online helped push GTA 5 into the conversation as one of the most profitable entertainment releases of all time.
That runaway popularity has been both a boon and a headache for GTA fans. Some players have argued that GTA Online kept Rockstar from moving faster on Grand Theft Auto 6, since it would be hard to justify shelving a proven money-maker to start fresh. Now that GTA 6 is drawing closer to release, though, GTA Online appears to be shifting into a wrap-up phase for its major additions.
With GTA Online preparing for its newest and final heist— the Kortz Center Heist—players can jump in and get ready via the Art Collector Program.
GTA Online’s Kortz Center Heist Update is On the Way
Rockstar has outlined the upcoming Kortz Center Heist update for Grand Theft Auto Online. It will be the first large-scale heist release since the Cayo Perico Heist was added in late 2020. In this new operation, players will need to plan and then carry out a museum job, stealing valuable artwork that nods to Rockstar’s past creations. Rockstar is positioning the update as a major one, but it’s also widely viewed as the close of an era—expected to be the final big GTA Online update before the next game arrives.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
What This Means for GTA 6 and Its Online Mode
Rockstar has not shared any specifics about what Grand Theft Auto 6 will do for online multiplayer. Still, given how massively successful GTA Online has been, an online offering for GTA 6 feels like a near certainty. The expectation is that GTA 6 will launch as a single-player experience—mirroring how GTA 5 began—then add multiplayer functionality later on down the line. It’s not yet clear whether that online component will arrive in the same year as the launch or slip into the following one, but either way, the launch itself will likely draw most of Rockstar’s development attention away from ongoing GTA Online support.
- Image via Rockstar Games
- Image via Rockstar Games / Take Two
- Image via Rockstar Games / Take Two
- Image via Rockstar Games / Take Two
How Rockstar Could Transition Away From GTA Online
Even if GTA Online is nearing the end of its era, that doesn’t mean Rockstar is abandoning it overnight. The player base is still expected to be massive after GTA 6 launches, so fans should anticipate continued updates that tackle technical issues. Rockstar may also roll out content that gives players new reasons to keep spending—such as additional vehicles and other items.
Still, the Kortz Center Heist update is expected to be the first concrete step in Rockstar gradually phasing out major GTA Online development. The idea is to free up more time and resources for Grand Theft Auto 6, including the eventual online mode.
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Why Players Should Care Right Now
Grand Theft Auto players are already eager for the Kortz Center Heist update, not only for the new content itself, but because its release also seems likely to coincide with a bigger push for GTA 6 marketing. Once what’s believed to be the last major GTA Online update is out of the way, Rockstar can focus its full attention on GTA 6 and build more momentum—potentially through the release of the long-awaited Trailer 3, followed by a deeper gameplay look, and eventually a showcase of the game’s online mode.
