Will Rockstar release another DLC before releasing GTA Online as a standalone title?

Right now seems as good as time as any over the past couple of years to get back into GTA Online, what with Rockstar Games dropping a massive DLC. The game has been steadily chugging along at a decent pace with periodic updates that introduce new elements in-game ever so often.

GTA Online had been running the risk of becoming a "dead game" in the eyes of the online community and its player base. However, recent signs have shown the game to be anything but dead.

Rockstar recently put out the Heist Challenge, which was to see if the GTA Online community collectively could steal over a $100 billion in Heists. The actual amount stolen, as reported by the publisher, was somewhere around the $1 trillion mark!

This goes to show that the title's community is thriving and hungry for new content. And with GTA Online's release on next-gen consoles in mid-2021, is it time for Rockstar to introduce more DLC before it?

Will Rockstar put out another DLC before releasing GTA Online as a standalone title?

Prepare to infiltrate the remote island compound of the world’s most notorious drug dealer in Grand Theft Auto Online’s biggest, most daring, and action-packed addition yet: The Cayo Perico Heist.https://t.co/YmsoKFUCGK pic.twitter.com/9Y6qhydTKs

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 20, 2020

If early signs are considered, such as the Heist Challenge being an overall success, it would mean that the GTA Online community responds well to being incentivized to play the game.

That is, if Rockstar is willing to put in good content, the players will respond by playing the title. As it stands, the American company's approach to content updates in-game has been quite frustrating.

Other games that follow the "games as a service" model tend to introduce new content via multiple "Seasons" and have a solid roadmap for content updates.

Rockstar, instead, seems to like putting out content on a whim, as and when the GTA Online fires need stoking to keep them aflame. While this approach has worked reasonably well so far, it does beg the question whether fans will look to purchase GTA Online as a standalone title in the future on next-gen consoles.

However, if Rockstar were to provide players with a concrete roadmap of future content going into mid-2021, with plans to release content for current-gen consoles as well, it would make for a good send-off to the current console generation.

Having goodwill within the gaming community and supporting the core player base goes a long way in keeping the game alive. GTA Online could do with some love from Rockstar before it becomes a standalone title on next-gen consoles.