GTA 6 leak suggests it may cash in on 2021's biggest trend

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto franchise always features pointed satirical commentary on the issues and trends of the time.

GTA 5 tackled everything from private military companies like Blackwater to the rise of hipsters. It’s sensible to assume that GTA 6’s story will do the same that a lot has happened since GTA 5’s 2013 release.

One compelling new rumor, which comes from a reliable leaker, gives us our first glimpse at a recent trend that Grand Theft Auto will capitalize on. GTA 6 will reportedly feature some form of cryptocurrency.

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On June 3, leaker Tom Henderson tweeted about cryptocurrency’s presence in GTA 6:

“I heard recently that in GTA 6, some missions will reward you in bitcoin instead of cash for completing some missions,” Henderson wrote. “The stock market feature will return, with the addition of a broker for different cryptocurrencies. If GTA 6 incorporates this right, it's huge for crypto.”

GTA 5 features an in-game stock market where players can invest the cash they earn. Once the money is invested, players can see its value fluctuate over time. They can also have a direct impact on the market by conducting assassination missions to kill an executive from one company to raise the stock price of their competitor. In GTA Online, players can also invest in the stock market in a similar fashion.

If Henderson’s information is accurate, then this system will return in GTA 6 with some interesting cryptocurrency upgrades.

He believes the cryptocurrency won’t be called Bitcoin and that players will receive it thanks to “higher-up character that need to transfer high amounts of ‘untraceable cash and fast.’” This will all be just in-game, so don’t expect Rockstar to create an actual cryptocurrency ... at least for now.

Tom Henderson is the source of many leaks regarding 2021’s new Battlefield game, which adds to the validity of the rumors. That said, it is a fairly farfetched idea, and GTA 6 is rumored to be several years away from release still, so take this rumor with a massive grain of salt, as usual. Even Henderson recommends that GTA fans do so.

The Inverse Analysis — A focus on the stock market and cryptocurrency would make a lot of sense following what has happened this year with GameStop and Dogecoin becoming so prominent. We’ve seen atypical investors make a massive impact on the stock market through these emerging trends.

Meanwhile, cryptocurrencies are becoming relevant once again, as it’s a volatile market that can become volatile just from an Elon Musk tweet. There’s certainly a lot to parody there if Rockstar chooses to address cryptocurrency in the game’s story.

Obviously, if the rumors that the game is set in the 1980s turns out to be true, then the inclusion of cryptocurrency wouldn’t be possible. That said, it’s an extremely plausible addition if GTA 6 is set in the modern-day and could even work in GTA Online if Rockstar decides to implement it retroactively.

If this rumor turns out to be true though, expect the stock market and cryptocurrency to return in GTA 6 in a big way.

GTA 6 is reportedly in development.