GTA 6 will seemingly only launch with the single-player campaign in November

As many of us expected, the launch version of Grand Theft Auto 6, coming 19th November, will seemingly only include the single-player campaign. Rockstar implied this today in a press release announcing GTA 6 pre-orders will go live at midnight, with no disc included, which also did not include any mention of an online mode.

"The biggest and most immersive evolution of the series yet, Grand Theft Auto 6 features a single-player experience launching on 19th November to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S," the press release reads.

The open-world game will be available in two editions. The Ultimate Edition includes a host of extra digital goodies such as "premium vehicles, weapons and apparel", but all of that content will be limited to the single-player campaign, which is unusual for the series.

What is usual, however, is a staggered release for the game's online mode. GTA 5's GTA Online mode arrived two weeks after the main game launched. Red Dead Online, the online mode for Red Dead Redemption 2, went live seven months after that game's initial launch.

Prior to today's news, some speculated that Rockstar may buck the trend of delaying the release of the online mode with GTA 6, and could even offer two editions at launch, each including one of the two modes. The fact the developer did not reference GTA Online in today's press material is interesting, though it could just be a desire to keep the focus on the core single-player campaign.

Rockstar has not officially discussed whether the currently-running GTA Online will evolve with GTA 6. Some believe the existing mode will continue concurrently alongside whatever GTA 6 will introduce - say, a GTA Online 2. Until more details are released, however, we can only speculate.

It's also worth noting that Rockstar has not yet shared a proper look at GTA 6's gameplay. The game has only received two trailers since it was initially announced, and both offer a stylised, cinematic look at its characters and world. We're likely going to learn a lot more over the summer.