Games
After five years of GTA V, we look at how the game could still develop before the next instalment of the gaming giant reaches our screens.
It's frightening to think about how long GTA V has been around for. Originally released in September 2013 for Xbox 360 and PS3, it eventually came to the current generation and PC to rave reviews, with nearly 100 million copies sold. It’s the third best-selling game of all time. Impressive, right?
Time makes fools of us all, though, and Rockstar will at some point deem it time to announce GTA VI. With Red Dead Redemption 2 on the horizon, it's unlikely we're going to get that GTA reveal soon, and it's almost impossible to envision the legendary developers dropping support for the current GTA game. With that in mind, these are the things that'll happen before GTA VI is in our disc drives or on our hard-drives in a digital-only future.
1. GTA Online to become free to play
Despite the immense popularity of GTA Online, with nearly 80,000 players still playing on PC-alone all this time after launch, eventually there'll come a time when the audience slows down. Even the behemoths of online gaming, such as World of Warcraft, have slowly receding player numbers. With that in mind, it'd make so much sense for Rockstar to turn around and make the online portion of the game free-to-play. With an already existing in-game currency you can buy with real money, it's almost surprising it hasn't already happened.
Existing players can be given a founder’s pack of sorts, with some bonus cash, while the idea of GTA going free will get people who've never tried it downloading and getting involved. Even you if you only like GTA V for the single player, tell us you've never thought 'I really should try that online, I've heard people love it'. Going F2P would boost numbers and get people playing and spending money: a net win for Rockstar.
2. More dalliances with Battle Royale
There’s currently a mode called Motor Wars in GTA Online, which takes heavy inspiration from the PUBGs of the gaming world. But in actual fact, Motor Wars is closer to H1Z1's Auto Royale mode, itself a spinoff of the genre. We think Rockstar are carefully watching the Battle Royale genre, and that GTA Online will eventually get a more standard mode.
It's unlikely we’ll get the building aspects from Fortnite, but expect a unique take on things. The map is already huge and the player base is still there, and this is yet another thing that would boost numbers. In actual fact, modders for the PC version are already on the task, with a user called Theaetik creating something called Complex Control, which is classed as a Royale-Lite.
3. More vehicles, more racing, more heists
Rockstar are pretty good at doling out regular updates and offering discounts and deals, but they also bring in new cars to race with. This is going to continue, we'd say, with new race events and a combination of supercars and demolition vehicles to help you dominate the online modes.
Along with all of these perhaps more minor updates, there'll surely be some new heists over the next few years, too. We're not expecting masses of them, but one here and there to give players fresh content to be poring over, meticulously planning to maximise the cash-rewards, are highly likely.
4. More ways to get around the map, and new items
Speaking of heists, last year's release of The Doomsday Heist brought jetpacks to the game, along with myriad new vehicles, weapons, properties and clothing. The RCV, for example, can hold multiple passengers and also spray a water cannon (similar to the fire truck), which can create some humorous moments. Loads of cosmetic additions and even more weapons will be coming over the next few years, but we think there'll also be some more wacky ideas, like the jetpack, coming, too. While GTA is a game rooted in realistic physics, all open-world games eventually descend into madness, with people trying to break them. Rockstar are smart, they'll create ways to aid players to do this.
5. More 'business' opportunities
In June 2018, Rockstar added nightclubs to Los Santos. While the idea of single player DLC is always going to be a pipedream (it's not going to happen), the online open-world is continually evolving. GTA Online is all about making money, and this Nightlife DLC is another way to do that. Being able to hire staff and promote your club is an ingenious idea, but why stop there?
What about running your own country club, charging people to play golf? If the Nightlife DLC is popular (it almost certainly will be) then we're sure the game will continue to evolve in this manner. Who knows, maybe we'll be managing our businesses from our Smartphone while we're at our day job, earning our in-game cash. GTA Online as a new Second Life? Yes please.
Bonus: Zombies!
Remember when Red Dead Redemption added zombies? It seemed mad at the time, but that Undead Nightmare DLC was very popular and some still play it today. As GTA V is winding down towards the end of its life cycle, and thus GTA VI is readying for its reveal, Rockstar could add a zombies mode to GTA V.
It'd be a variation on the existing Survival mode in GTA Online, but instead of Buzzard helicopters flying in at you in droves, it'd be zombies, ever escalating, with special boss-enemies to finish the wave. It might sound daft, but if Red Dead can do it, GTA can easily pull this off.
