Data miners say they found PlayStation backend strings tied to multiplayer sessions inside the GTA 6 release build, but neither the account that found them nor the outlets reporting the find claim they show an online mode is finished or close.
PlayStation Game Size, an account that monitors Sony's PlayStation database, reported three strings in the release build. Each begins with an intentType field: joinSession, launchActivity and launchMultiplayerActivity.
The references sit in PlayStation's backend metadata, not in the game files, according to the account.
What we know
- The strings were found in PlayStation backend metadata, not in game files.
- Rockstar has marketed GTA 6 mainly as a single-player game.
- GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Still unclear
- Whether a multiplayer mode is finished, playable or scheduled soon.
- Whether Rockstar will repeat the two-week gap from 2013.
- Whether the next-year and 2027 timings are accurate.
The reported find consists of database labels, the sources said. They don't establish that multiplayer is finished, playable or due soon. A label is not the same thing as a mode a player can join.
Rockstar has announced no online successor
GTA 6 has mainly been marketed as a single-player game, and the company hasn't formally announced a GTA Online successor.
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players can begin playing GTA 6 on November 19.
GTA 5 arrived on 17 September 2013, and GTA Online followed on 1 October, roughly two weeks later. That's the precedent hanging over the debate.
A second comparison comes from Red Dead Redemption 2, where a beta option surfaced about a month after release, Digital Trends reported.
Guesses range from December to 2027
They're going to shadowdrop Online in December aren't they
Online is probably March I'd say
A third fan quoted by GamesRadar put the launch on day one.
Twitch CEO Dan Clancy said he had spoken to the developers about GTA Online and said it is releasing "next year".
At Bloomberg, insider Jason Schreier downplayed the chances of Rockstar announcing a sequel to the online service soon. He said co-op missions might not arrive until 2027.
Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said the publisher has shown a willingness to support games while players are still interested. He noted that the current GTA Online could live on alongside GTA 6.
None of that settles the timing. Rockstar hasn't announced an online service or a date for one, and it's unknown whether the two-week pattern or the 2027 talk will prove right.
What the session logs show
Court documents from the start of the year referenced now-former developers discussing a "difficult" 32-player session.
The file findings echoed Discord logs mentioned in a Rockstar employee tribunal, which referred to a multiplayer test session, Notebookcheck wrote.
A separate install for the story and online portions would be new for the series. TexFunz, an insider posting on X, wrote that players can install GTA 6's online component separately from its main game, unlike GTA 5, then remove one and re-download it later to save space.
GTAV does not separate assets, so it's new. This allows you to uninstall online or story mode at a later point so you can save some space, and re-download them whenever you like.
The sources say Rockstar's acquisition of Cfx.re raises hopes for a widely played role-playing mode like the one in GTA 5.
The money behind the interest is old. Since its launch, the current GTA Online has been a major earner for Rockstar for more than 13 years.
Download sizes, claimed and announced
Rockstar later announced a 212GB pre-load, after PlayStation Game Size previously said GTA 6 would carry a 210GB download.
The account's most recent post puts the worldwide package at 223.088GB and the Australian pre-load at 209.913GB. It noted that package size can differ from download size, while the New Zealand and Australian release was reportedly showing as 0.008GB smaller.
| Figure | Size | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Claimed download | 210GB | PlayStation Game Size |
| Announced pre-load | 212GB | Rockstar |
| Worldwide package | 223.088GB | PlayStation Game Size |
| Australian pre-load | 209.913GB | PlayStation Game Size |
The outlets differed on the details: Dexerto dated the account's post to November 8, while GamesRadar's embedded copy carries November 9; Digital Trends and Notebookcheck both reported the find on November 9.
GamesRadar said the account had almost got the file size right. Dexerto described the same 210GB figure as an initial reveal.
Data miners are expected to keep finding material once files become accessible during pre-load on Xbox and PlayStation 5 consoles.
Pre-loads open on November 10. The first is in New Zealand at midnight local time.
