Should GTA 6 have cross-play functionality?

GTA 6 is yet to be announced, let alone get a release date. However, fans are still raising various questions regarding this highly-anticipated title, one of which is related to cross-play.

Cross-play functionality has become a common phenomenon in modern video games. Yet Rockstar Games hasn't implemented this feature in any of its titles. It is surprising considering that most popular video games already have this feature.

Minecraft, Rocket League, and War Thunder have all made cross-platform play available for their respective games.

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GTA 6: Should Rockstar implement cross-platform play in their next title?

What is cross-platform play?

A game that supports cross-play functionality can be played across different platforms. For example, somebody who owns Minecraft on PC can play it with their friend who owns it on Xbox One.

Sometimes, cross-play also allows for another beneficial feature called cross-saving. This enables gamers to seamlessly transfer their saves from one platform to another. Such a feature is quite handy for when they are migrating to a different platform.

Unfortunately, Rockstar doesn't support cross-play on GTA Online or Red Dead Online. The former has been out for almost a decade and is getting a new port, but cross-platform play is unlikely to ever arrive for it.

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Will GTA 6 have cross-play enabled?

Although there hasn't been any direct confirmation, GTA 6 might have cross-play enabled. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has hinted that future Rockstar titles will implement this feature, making it likely for the next Grand Theft Auto offering to include the feature.

Much of the decision for allowing cross-play between PC, PS5, and the Xbox Series X/S also lies with Sony and Microsoft. However, Rockstar's decision is still the most important factor for implementing it.

GTA Online had major version differences between the older generation consoles and PC variants. If GTA 6 enables a new multiplayer mode, it might also have similar differences across consoles.

In that case, cross-play would be quite difficult to implement. On top of that, many console players don't want to cross-play with PC players, as the latter is more vulnerable to hacking. However, all of this would not be possible if GTA 6 does not introduce an online mode.

GTA Online is set to become a standalone game with the release of the Enhanced and Expanded Edition. Thus, it is unclear if GTA 6 will get its own multiplayer variant or not.