In 2013, Rockstar Games launched Grand Theft Auto 5 and its multiplayer component, Grand Theft Auto Online, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Despite Grand Theft Auto Online and the GTA 5 story mode both making the jump to PS4 and Xbox One a year later, there was still a sizable audience for the games on PS3 and Xbox 360. Fast forward to 2021, and it's unlikely that there are nearly as many people playing Grand Theft Auto Online on PS3 and Xbox 360 as there are on other platforms, but there's still some fans who are still playing on the legacy consoles.
Unfortunately for those fans, Rockstar Games has announced the shut down date for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Grand Theft Auto Online. Fans will have until December 16, 2021 to play Grand Theft Auto Online on PS3 and Xbox 360, and they will have until September 15 to purchase Shark Cards. After December 16, anyone that wants to keep playing Grand Theft Auto Online will need to upgrade to the PS4 and Xbox One versions, or the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions.
The Grand Theft Auto Online shut down date for PS3 and Xbox 360 will also see stat tracking through the Rockstar Games Social Club shut down as well, with that support ending on September 16, 2021. Rockstar Games Social Club stat tracking support is coming to an end for more PS3 and Xbox 360 era Rockstar Games titles besides just GTA Online, though. L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3 on PS3 and Xbox 360 are also losing these features, with Max Payne 3's online multiplayer shutting down on September 16 as well.
While the online features for these games are coming to an end, fans will still be able to play the single-player story modes. With both the PS3 and Xbox 360 well over a decade old, it seems somewhat surprising that these shut downs haven't happened sooner, but anyone wanting to play these games before the shut down dates will want to make sure that they make time to do so.
The fact that games like Grand Theft Auto Online exist on PS3 and Xbox 360 while also having new versions coming out on PS5 and Xbox Series X further highlights the lack of Grand Theft Auto 6. An entire console generation came and went with no new Grand Theft Auto game to speak of, with Rockstar instead focusing all of its efforts on new Grand Theft Auto Online content as well as developing Red Dead Redemption 2.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is an inevitability, but with the next-gen versions of GTA 5 and GTA Online coming this year, fans shouldn't hold their breath for substantial information on the game anytime soon.
Grand Theft Auto Online is available to play on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.
