Did Rockstar Just Leak The New GTA Online DLC (June 2023 Release)?
Published at 6/2/23, 6:23 AM
In the last couple of weeks, a frenzy of speculation has consumed the GTA Online community. Many believe that we are in line to get an update earlier this year than we are accustomed to. At this stage, it seems close to confirmed, just shy of Rockstar making an official announcement themselves. If rumors are to be believed, we could see the update being released in less than two weeks on Tuesday, June 13th.
Contextualizing the Rumors
A common objection to this expectation is the timing. Many argue that Rockstar never releases updates this early. However, that's not entirely true. Over the past years, mid-year updates have varied, but a trend is clear if we look closely. In the middle of last year, we got the Criminal Enterprises DLC update on July 26th, the year before, it was Los Santos Juniors on July 20th, and in 2020 we saw the Los Santos Summer Special on August 11th. Back in 2019, it was the Diamond Casino and Resort on July 23rd, and in 2018 it was After Hours on July 24th.
So yes, for a few years, we've seen a consistent trend of updates being released around July to August. But if we take a step further back, we see a notable exception - the Gun Running DLC that introduced the bunker came out on June 13th, the same rumored date for this year's DLC. For several years before Gun Running, Rockstar had always released an update in June.
The Leaks and Predictions
Surprisingly, Rockstar might have unintentionally leaked the update release date themselves. When they announced the GTA Plus month a few weeks ago, the expiry date for the event was originally set for June 12th, a Monday. Why does that matter? Because Rockstar usually only commences a new month on a Tuesday when a new DLC is about to be released.
But there's a catch. They've changed the expiry date to June 7th. So what does this mean? Well, June 7th is too early to end a GTA Plus month. Therefore, it's plausible that Rockstar might extend it to June 12th, like they've done before. Moreover, with Rockstar's update pattern shifting focus from QA beta to QA live on Steam, it reinforces the likelihood of the speculated June 13th release date.
What To Expect?
It's always fun to speculate what the new update could be, even though we have no definitive clues yet. Personal hopes for a Michael Heist are sky-high, but given the imminent arrival of GTA 6, it's more likely to be a smaller update akin to last year's Criminal Enterprises. After all, as we inch closer to GTA 6, there's less incentive for Rockstar to release substantial updates for GTA Online.
Still, the earlier release of this update could also be a strategic move by Rockstar in the lead-up to the highly-anticipated GTA 6. There's no shortage of 'hopium' in the GTA community, and for good reason. After all, the prospect of a new GTA Online update is certainly an exciting one to consider.
So, while we wait for the official announcement from Rockstar, let's keep our expectations in check. Remember, nothing is set in stone yet, but the rumors are strong, and there's a high chance we'll see a new DLC update in a week and a half from now.