Does GTA 5 need a single-player expansion more than an Online DLC?

Although Rockstar Games have confirmed their plans for GTA 5: Expanded and Enhanced Edition for November 11, fans are still in the dark as to what it is. For many, the "Expanded" part of the subtitle is what drew their attention to the next-gen version of their beloved 2013 open-world title.

Rockstar has been relatively quiet on any single-player expansion, trying to give away as little as possible, and only slightly eluding to new content. For now, it seems like the version will simply be a technical upgrade from the last-gen version of the game, but that could all change in the months to come.

So far, Rockstar's focus with regards to expanding upon the story side of GTA 5 has been through GTA Online. The game has been able to transcend its limitations as a prequel and is more or less a proper sequel to the events of Story Mode.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinion of the writer.

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Is GTA Online currently more important than a single-player expansion?

Single-player DLC has become rarer in the industry than it was almost a decade ago. While there is still a palpable demand for more single-player content for existing titles, the online "games as a service" model have yielded great results for all studios and publishers.

Games like Fortnite, No Man's Sky, and even Apex Legends have proved the value in long-running titles being more profitable in the long run than single-player games. Thus, from a purely financial standpoint, it makes very little sense for Rockstar to be putting all their eggs in the "single-player DLC" basket.

Yet, for a publisher as creatively ambitious and flourishing as Rockstar Games, financial success cannot be the only motivator.

The palpable demand for single-player DLC

GTA Online has been a runaway success for Rockstar Games, with it generating massive revenue on a daily basis. The game has been able to grow far beyond the limits of what fans thought was initially possible. At this point, Online is as much a single-player DLC as something like Wine and Blood for The Witcher 3.

There is plenty of story content and missions that fans of Story Mode will enjoy. The only catch is that in order to experience the story goodness, players will have to wade through plenty of murky, PvP, and griefer waters.

This isn't a great case for most single-player fans of GTA 5. Since 2015, there have been murmurs of a canceled single-player expansion and such, but nothing solid ever materialized from Rockstar Games' side.

In order to truly drive sales, Rockstar might have to sell fans on something more than just a visual or technological upgrade. A single-player expansion might just be what draws older fans towards GTA 5's Expanded and Enhanced Edition.