Although there’s no official confirmation on if Grand Theft Auto 6 is even in the works, there is intense speculation about what the next version of GTA's online mode could look like, particularly its lobbies. Based on what has and hasn’t worked for Rockstar’s GTA franchise in the past, it’s possible to infer what lobbies may look like in future installments.
So far, Rockstar has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 5 is being ported for next-generation consoles. Still, there’s no official word on if GTA 6 is coming anytime soon. Rumors about Grand Theft Auto 6 are circulating around online, with some reports suggesting the game could re-visit Vice City while also bringing players to a new fictional city inspired by Rio de Janeiro. Other rumors and alleged, unconfirmed leaks suggest Grand Theft Auto 6 may even be set in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Grand Theft Auto 5’s multiplayer allows up to 32 people to a lobby or roam freely in the open world. Specifically, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the session is limited to only 16 players, but this was expanded to 30 players along with 2 spots for spectators when the game was ported for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Multiplayer in Grand Theft Auto 4’s online mode was similarly small, as it could only up to 16 players on Xbox and PlayStation and up 32 on PC. Neither of the games cross-playing between consoles.
What Will Lobbies Look Like In GTA 6?
Given that GTA Online has traditionally limited itself to around 30 people per lobby, it’s unlikely Rockstar Games will break precedence and expand the lobbies too much in GTA 6. They may adjust the lobbies to hold 10 or even 20 more players, but going beyond that is certainly not feasible or desirable. GTA lobbies are already chaotic as it is, particularly for players on PC, but increasing the lobby to hold 100 players could be detrimental to GTA Online. The server would likely not be able to handle the number of players, leading the game to lag and players frustrated.
Similarly, it’s unlikely that GTA 6 would introduce cross-platform play in its online mode. Not only would it probably be too much for the server to handle, but the number of cheaters and hackers present in PC lobbies would drastically change how multiplayer is experienced on PlayStation and Xbox, and would likely be frustrating for console players. Rockstar already has a huge issue with cheaters in GTA’s online mode, so much so thatsome players have started taking the law into their own hands. The fact that cross-play could encourage more cheating, or at the very least, dissuade console s from making the move to GTA 6’s online mode if there was too much chaos, makes it unlikely that Rockstar will introduce cross-play.
Players should be able to expect, however, that lobbies will be both public and private, as had been the case with previous installments in the franchise. Red Dead Redemption 2 interestingly didn’t have private lobbies, so it could be a sign that Rockstar wants to try something new with GTA 6, especially given that private lobbies in earlier versions of GTA have been criticized for being ineffective. But then again, it may cause uproar among players if Rockstar rids the GTA franchise of private lobbies, so it's probable the game will feature both options. There are a lot of directions Rockstar could take Grand Theft Auto 6's lobbies, but hopefully, it's for the best not worst.
