TITLE
How the Online Roleplaying Community Has Kept ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ Alive
AUTHOR
Alyssa Mercante
PUBLICATION
Rolling Stone
YEAR
2025
ARTICLE TYPE
Article
FROM THE ARTICLE
The entire world is waiting for Grand Theft Auto VI, the upcoming sandbox crime simulator from Rockstar Studios, set to release this fall. As a brand, GTA transcends video games, bleeding so profusely into popular culture that it’s consistently referenced in TV shows, movies, and even CNN panels. It’s spawned legendary memes and copycat games. Hell, even boomers know what Grand Theft Auto is — even if it’s just through name recognition alone.[…]
The continued success of GTA V long after its release is largely thanks to players who took Rockstar’s multiplayer blueprint and built something unique: a rich role-playing world with servers hosted all across the globe. GTA RP (short for roleplay) as it’s called, garners thousands of daily viewers on streaming platforms like Twitch, and can earn content creators and server hosts a rather lucrative income. Some of the world’s biggest streamers, like Valkyrae, have turned GTA RP into a bona fide soap opera-like serial, something their audiences watch with deep investment, even without playing themselves.
It’s so popular that Rockstar bought FiveM, a popular mod project that lets players join customized dedicated servers with better gameplay and advanced features, back in 2023 — nearly 10 years after banning three people responsible for the mod from online play.
But what comes next? With GTA VI and potentially a brand-new online mode on the horizon, RP players are optimistic that the future of GTA roleplaying will be bright.
COMPANIES MENTIONED
Rockstar Games
GAMES MENTIONED
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto VI
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Elizabeth DeLoria
Lord Kebun
Rosco McClellaland
ALTERNATE LINK
Archived Copy @ Internet Archive