Grand Theft Auto’s Lack of True Competitors Doesn’t Mean Rockstar Can Rest on its Laurels

After over a decade of GTA Online updates, Grand Theft Auto 6 finally looms on the horizon. While not a lot is known about the game yet, Rockstar is promising a massive new genre-defining experience. Not only will it take the tried-and-true GTA formula into the next generation, but it will also see the return of fan-favorite locale Vice City. That potential alone makes Grand Theft Auto 6 extremely exciting. However, the studio may not be able to just coast on that.

Over the years, the Grand Theft Auto franchise has cemented itself as one of the biggest names in the genre. In fact, it has consistently beat out some of its biggest competitors, including Saints Row and Mafia. And while that means that open-world players will likely flock to this next title, there is a chance that success will not last forever. If Rockstar does not ensure GTA 6 is truly a game-changer, then another competitor may just swoop in and deliver that instead.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Needs to Come out of the Gate Swinging

GTA’s Biggest Competitors Have Faded From the Spotlight

Even though Grand Theft Auto has been the defining open-world experience for what feels like forever, a couple of major competitors have tried to take that crown over the years. Out of that competition, Volition’s Saints Row franchise and 2K’s Mafia trilogy have probably been the biggest. Both franchises have taken players on some wild adventures over the years and have done some pretty unique things with the concept, but both failed to capitalize on the massive decade-long wait.

Saints Row fans saw the release of Saints Row 4, Saints Row: Gat out of Hell, and the loosely connected Agents of Mayhem, but none of them really blew fans away. In 2022, Volition tried to reboot the franchise, yet that game ended up falling flat with audiences, which resulted in the studio closing its doors. At the same time, Mafia released the controversial Mafia 3, a remake of the original game, and a re-release of the other two. While that may sound like a lot, they were mostly just the same thing players had seen already. Since then, there has been little news on the fourth game, which could mean this franchise is set to lie low while Grand Theft Auto thrives.

There is Still a Chance a GTA Competitor Explodes Onto the Scene

Neither Mafia nor Saints Row really had much success during that gap, which means that GTA 6 will likely not be facing much competition when it finally releases in 2025. Open-world fans have been looking for something as big and genre-defining as GTA, and during this decade-long wait, all they really got that compared was Red Dead Redemption 2. Therefore, something like this is long overdue, and that means Rockstar has a very lucrative opportunity ahead.

That being said, if GTA 6 is not the massive game many think it should be, then that also leaves an opening. While it doesn’t seem like there’s anything to rival GTA 6 on the horizon, there’s always a chance that a brand-new competitor swoops in out of nowhere to take the crown. As more Indies rise to challenge AAA games, that feels especially likely now. If Rockstar wants to avoid that, it needs to ensure it has crafted something truly special.

That cannot stop at launch either; the post-launch support has to be there to keep the game alive. GTA 5 may have thrived with GTA Online, but that may not work as well a second time. If the studio truly wants to keep its crown, then it also might want to make sure it has something exciting up its sleeve. Because if GTA 6‘s content ends up faltering, then that will leave the perfect opening for something to rise in its place.

Grand Theft Auto 6

Grand Theft Auto 6 is an open world crime game that takes fans back to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City.

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox Series X|S

Released

2025-00-00

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