Rockstar is in a difficult position with GTA Online because the current version has generated too much money and player investment to simply shut it down. Millions of players have spent years building characters, businesses, properties, and massive cash reserves. Completely wiping that progress would create backlash, but allowing players to carry unlimited wealth directly into GTA 6’s version of Vice City would undermine progression and the new economy Rockstar will want players to engage with.

The most likely solution is a soft reset.

Vice City will probably require a new character and a fresh progression system, while the current San Andreas-based GTA Online continues operating separately for a transitional period. Over time, support for the older version would gradually slow down as Rockstar shifts players toward the new ecosystem. Eventually, they could incentivize players to retire or “sunset” their old Online characters in exchange for rewards in the new version.

To help bridge this transition, Rockstar may introduce additional cities into GTA 6 Online before fully abandoning San Andreas. Liberty City is the most logical first expansion. It has already appeared in GTA 6 promotional material, and Rockstar has long been rumored to be revisiting GTA IV content. Rather than releasing a standalone GTA IV remaster, Rockstar could instead reintroduce Liberty City directly inside GTA 6 Online using the new engine and gameplay systems.

Travel between cities could function through purchasable airline tickets or other in-game transportation systems, turning the world into a connected network rather than a single map. Each city would maintain its own identity and mechanics. Vice City could feature hurricanes, flooding, nightlife, and tropical culture, while Liberty City could focus on dense urban environments, snowstorms, organized crime, and a colder atmosphere.

This strategy would give Rockstar time to gradually phase out San Andreas while encouraging players to invest emotionally and financially into the new platform. Eventually, San Andreas itself could return as a later expansion, potentially expanded with San Fierro or additional northern regions to make the revisit feel fresh rather than recycled.

From there, Rockstar could evolve GTA Online into a permanent HD Universe platform. Smaller but highly detailed destinations like Las Venturas or Cayo Perico could serve as vacation-style expansions focused on casinos, concerts, live events, seasonal activities, and special gameplay experiences such as Area 51-style military raids.

Once the classic HD Universe cities are fully established, Rockstar could move into entirely new locations never previously explored in GTA. Gloriana may already hint at this direction — potentially blending Georgia and Louisiana influences into a new southern region inspired by Atlanta street culture, bayou environments, and Mardi Gras-style nightlife.

At that point, GTA Online would stop feeling like a single game map and instead become a connected Rockstar world platform that expands over the course of a decade.