Court Documents Reveal GTA 6 Online Was Tested With a 32-Player Format

Legal filings submitted to the Glasgow employment tribunal have inadvertently shed light on one of Rockstar Games' most closely guarded secrets: the multiplayer player count for GTA 6 Online. Court documents from the case — in which 31 former Rockstar developers are suing the company for alleged union-busting after being fired in October 2025 — reference an "online 32-player format" as part of confidential project information that employees allegedly discussed on the IWGB's private Discord server. While Rockstar introduced the reference to illustrate the sensitivity of the leaked material, it marks the first time any player format for GTA 6 Online has appeared in an official document.

Rockstar Head of Publishing Jennifer Kolbe testified that discovering staff had shared online player numbers in a group chat was "extraordinarily alarming," particularly given the studio's recent history with large-scale leaks. The company's legal argument hinges on showing that the dismissed workers shared genuinely confidential product details — and the 32-player figure was presented as a prime example. For context, GTA Online on PS4 and Xbox One ran lobbies of 30 players, with the current-generation version supporting the same cap; a 32-player format would represent only a modest increase but could signal structural changes to how sessions are organised at launch.

It is important to note that the reference does not constitute an official announcement about GTA 6 Online's final specifications. Development targets routinely shift during production, and Rockstar could have tested a 32-player configuration at one point without shipping it. The studio has made no public comment on multiplayer details beyond confirming the game exists as a separate mode. With GTA 6 set to launch on November 19, 2026, Rockstar is expected to reveal Online details closer to or after release — as it did with GTA 5 in 2013.