Rockstar’s next release after Grand Theft Auto VI isn’t a new Rockstar-developed game. It’s a revival, and the studio isn’t the one building it.
Rockstar has officially confirmed it will publish the Max Payne remakes that are in development at Remedy Entertainment. They’re set to arrive on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S as a single package. That makes them the likeliest next major release with Rockstar’s name on the box, even though someone else is doing the building.
The Max Payne connection is odd, in a good way
Remedy made the first two games, Max Payne and Max Payne 2. Rockstar made Max Payne 3.
So the original creators are remaking their own games for the studio that took over the series after them. It’ll be interesting to see how the remakes handle that history, because the third game played nothing like the first two.
It also makes sense that Rockstar’s smaller franchises are the ones coming off the bench now. Everyone knows the studio for Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead, but it has quieter series that sold well too, and one of them looks like it’s going next.
First, the long wait for GTA VI
You can see why people are already asking about the next game. Grand Theft Auto VI launches Nov. 19, after two major delays. It’ll be Rockstar’s first new game since 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2. And the gap since the last numbered entry is even longer: Grand Theft Auto V came out in 2013, 13 years ago.
This could be the biggest game launch ever, and it’s still two months away. Fans have skipped ahead to the next question anyway. (Given how long Rockstar games take, you can’t blame them for starting early.)
The GTA Online question nobody can answer yet
There’s another candidate for Rockstar's next big release, and this one would come from Rockstar itself: a new GTA Online.
Rockstar hasn’t said when the new version of GTA Online will come out. For now, GTA VI is marketed as a “single-player experience,” which points to the online mode being sold separately as its own standalone purchase. When that happens hasn’t been announced.
To be clear about what’s confirmed here: Rockstar has confirmed the Max Payne publishing deal and GTA VI’s single-player marketing. Nothing official says GTA Online will be Rockstar’s next self-developed release after GTA VI. That’s an expectation based on the online mode being left out of the launch, not an announcement.
It’s a reasonable one, though. GTA VI should have plenty of staying power on its own as a single-player game. But the online mode is what kept people playing for the last decade, so whatever Rockstar puts out has a lot to live up to.
Why this matters for how long you’ll be playing
Put it together and there are two likely next steps. The Max Payne remakes are a confirmed Rockstar-published project that Remedy is developing. A standalone GTA Online is the expected follow-up Rockstar would build itself, with no date.
Fans can only hope the online mode doesn’t trail the main game by too much. Launching GTA VI without it means millions of players will finish the story and then wait.
For now, the only firm date on Rockstar’s calendar is Nov. 19. Everything after that says “remains to be seen” in pencil.
