It's Not Grand Theft Auto 6, But At Least There's A Submarine
Rockstar Games just announced its biggest ever update for Grand Theft Auto Online. The Cayo Perico Heist will take players to a brand new exotic island locale where they'll plan and execute their latest high stakes operation. And unlike previous GTA Online updates, this heist can be played entirely solo. It will drop Dec. 15 on PS4, Xbox Live, and PC.
In a 24-second teaser trailer, Rockstar showed off the secluded tropical island of Cayo Perico, where players will steal from one of the world's most notorious drug dealers. Once again, players will choose their approach, methods, and crew to carry out a series of missions that set up a final, epic smash-and-grab. But this time, they'll do it all from a "very large, very versatile, and very heavily armed submarine HQ."
A press release from the company called it GTA Online's "biggest, most daring, and action-packed addition yet." There will be a huge new map along with new vehicles, weapons, and social spaces where players can chill when not causing mayhem. Rockstar is also freshening up the game's playlist, adding new radio stations with world class DJ's and over 100 new songs.
The Cayo Perico Heist is Rockstar's latest attempt to keep players interested in GTA Online, which has been around since 2013. Previously, The Diamond Casino Heist, which dropped in the summer of 2020, let players pull off an elaborate casino robbery. Other heists involved breaking a convicted spy out of the high security Bolingbroke Penitentiary, and ripping off tech billionaire Avon Hertz. But Rockstar clearly hopes The Cayo Perico Heist will top them all.
Adding a submarine makes anything better, but Rockstar still has an uphill battle to win fans over. When the company first teased the Cayo Perico expansion earlier this week, many fans expressed frustration that it wasn't the long-awaited GTA 6. Fans were similarly irked back in June when Rockstar announced that GTA 5 and GTA Online will be ported to PS5 and the Xbox Series X in the second half of 2021 — but didn't announce a brand new GTA game.
While Rockstar definitely is working on Grand Theft Auto 6, the game is reportedly in a much earlier stage of development than many fans would like. According to an SEC filing earlier this year, the marketing budget for Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two, suggested that GTA 6 won't be available until 2023, although Take-Two disputed that rumor.
In the meantime, it appears that GTA Online will be the only source of new GTA content that isn't made by modders. While some gamers might be disappointed, Rockstar is hoping The Cayo Perico Heist and its sub will bring fans back for one more big score.