Why GTA Online shutting down for the PS3 and Xbox 360 is significant for its future

GTA Online shutting down for the PS3 and Xbox 360 is more significant than one might realize.

Rockstar has already confirmed that GTA Online will shut down for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on December 16th, 2021. While it's true that these consoles are several generations old now, there is still a lesson to be learnt here regarding the future of GTA Online on other platforms.

If GTA Online is shutting down for the PS3 and Xbox 360 this year, then it's likely that it will shut down for the PS4 and Xbox One port several years from now. PC will likely be the longest-lasting GTA Online version, simply because PC will always be relevant as far as video game platforms go.

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GTA Online shutting down for the PS3 and Xbox 360 is indicative of its future

The last ever content update the PS3 and Xbox 360 got for GTA Online (Image via Rockstar Games)

Nothing lasts forever. There will come a time when every game will face its end, and GTA Online is no different in this regard. Typically, online services for games tend to die as soon as a video game console becomes irrelevant, so it's surprising that the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of GTA Online lasted as long as it has.

These versions of GTA Online haven't gotten an update since mid-2015, when the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2 update was released. Since then, it's been practically six years of maintenance mode.

Why is GTA Online shutting down for these platforms?

These versions don't get many new players or any content updates (Image via GTAforums)

Rockstar doesn't give an official reason why these versions of GTA Online are shutting down, but the answer is more likely related to money. Keeping servers up costs money, and it's unlikely that Rockstar Games was making much of a profit keeping these two versions up.

As there were no updates in these servers for almost half a decade, there was no reason for players to buy Shark Cards. If nobody is buying Shark Cards, then the servers aren't making much of a profit (if at all).

At the end of the day, everything associated with GTA Online is tied to a business. If it's not profitable, then it will get cut.

Will future versions of GTA Online be shut down in the future?

New versions of GTA 5 might mean demise for older versions (Image via Rockstar Games)

Ignoring the obvious implications that nothing lasts forever, there will come a time when the PS4 and Xbox One versions of GTA Online will shut down. If the Expanded and Enhanced Edition of GTA 5 means that these versions don't get updated anymore, then it will be inevitable that its playerbase will fall over time.

When its playerbase dwindles and there's no need for players to buy Shark Cards, then these versions will follow the PS3 and Xbox 360 in a few years. Of course, this operates on the assumption that the Enhanced Edition of GTA 5 will be abandoned in favor of the Expanded and Enhanced Edition.