The games like GTA 6 you can play with friends right now are GTA Online, Red Dead Online, FiveM roleplay servers on GTA V, Saints Row (2022) in two-player co-op and Payday 2 for four-player heists. GTA 6 itself launches on November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and Take-Two's June 24, 2026 announcement describes it as "a single-player experience", so a crew needs one of these in the meantime.
We checked Take-Two's pre-order announcement, the FiveM site, Rockstar's announcements and Take-Two's earnings call coverage on November 2, 2026. Whether GTA 6 will get an online mode is covered in Is GTA 6 multiplayer?, so this guide only looks at what you can play together today.
Quick facts
| Game | Group size | What you need | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTA Online | Crews of 2 to 4 for heists | GTA Online or GTA V | Heists, businesses, cars |
| Red Dead Online | Posses in a shared open world | Red Dead Online or RDR2 | Slow, role-based sessions |
| FiveM | Set by each server | GTA V on Windows 10 or later | Persistent city roleplay |
| Saints Row (2022) | 2-player online co-op campaign | A copy each, same platform | A duo crime story |
| Payday 2 | 4-player co-op heists | A copy each | Structured heists, no city |
| GTA 6 | Single-player at launch | PS5 or Xbox Series X|S | Solo, from November 19, 2026 |
GTA Online: the closest thing, still running
GTA Online is the direct answer: same series, same Rockstar sandbox, heists, businesses and car culture. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said on an earnings call that he has "every reason to believe" the company will continue to support GTA Online after GTA 6 launches, and later repeated that it expects to support it going forward. So it is not a dead end this winter.
The hard part is not the game, it is assembling people who can run a heist at the same time. Most heists need a crew that stays from the setups to the finale. If that is your problem, see our GTA Online player search, the GTA Online crew finder and the GTA Online heist finder.
Good fit for: groups of two to four who want structure (setups, finales, payouts) and are fine with a game that is more than a decade old.
Red Dead Online: the western sandbox
Red Dead Online is Rockstar's other persistent open world, built on Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar said in 2022 that it was moving resources away from major Red Dead Online updates, so expect a quieter world with no big new chapters, and check the in-game news for current bonuses before you plan a weekend.
It suits a different kind of group: posses for bounty hunting, trader and moonshiner roles, and slow cooperative sessions rather than constant action. See the Red Dead Online player search to find people for those roles.
Good fit for: friends who like atmosphere and role-based progression over speed.
FiveM: the GTA V roleplay route
FiveM is a multiplayer framework for GTA V that powers custom servers, including the large roleplay communities with jobs, factions and police. Cfx.re, the team behind FiveM and RedM, joined Rockstar Games in August 2023.
Practical points from the FiveM site: you need your own copy of GTA V (FiveM Legacy needs GTA V Legacy, and a version for GTA V Enhanced is in early access), Windows 10 or later, and a lot of disk space (125 GB plus 4 GB for Legacy, 105 GB plus 4 GB for Enhanced). Many popular servers use whitelists, applications and character backstories, so plan an evening for the application, not five minutes.
If you are joining with friends, pick a server together before anyone applies, read its rules together, and agree on whether you will be on the same side of the law. Our FiveM player search and FiveM crew finder are built for exactly this.
Good fit for: groups who want to live in the city rather than run activities.
Saints Row and Payday 2
- Saints Row (2022). An open-world crime game whose campaign can be played in two-player online co-op. We could not confirm its cross-platform support, so plan on everyone using the same platform and check the store page before you both buy it.
- Payday 2. Not open world, but it is the heist fantasy done as four-player co-op, with stealth or loud approaches. It has been out since 2013, so expect a long list of heists and a game that runs on modest hardware.
We left out games whose co-op or crossplay details we could not confirm. Check each store page for current platforms and crossplay before buying for a group.
How to pick the right one
- Count your friends. Two people: Saints Row works. Three or four: GTA Online heists or Payday 2. A larger group: FiveM or Red Dead Online posses.
- Check platforms first. GTA 6 is console-only at launch, FiveM is Windows-only, and crossplay differs by game.
- Decide structure or sandbox. Heists are structured, roleplay and Red Dead are open-ended.
- Agree on time. Pick fixed evenings rather than "whenever someone is on".
Finding people to play with
If your friends are not all into the same game, you have real options. In-game tools help: GTA Online has crews and invites, and FiveM servers have their own Discord communities with recruitment channels. Reddit communities for each game post LFG threads. Discord servers work for scheduled play, though posts scroll away quickly, as we cover in the best LFG Discord servers guide.
GameVerse is one more option. It is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux (mobile coming soon) that shows players online now for the same game and region, chill or competitive, and lets you message them, for groups of up to 8. It does not match on rank, role or schedule, and for games outside its catalogue the mode is written in free text, so agree on the plan in chat. Start from the player search.
FAQ
Is there a GTA game with co-op right now?
GTA Online is the only current GTA with co-op: jobs and heists for crews. GTA 6 launches as a single-player experience, and our GTA 6 multiplayer guide tracks what is known about an online mode.
What are the best heist games to play with friends?
GTA Online heists for an open city with a crew of up to four, and Payday 2 for structured four-player heists with stealth or loud approaches.
Do you need GTA V to play FiveM?
Yes. FiveM requires your own copy of GTA V on Windows: GTA V Legacy for FiveM Legacy, or GTA V Enhanced for the early access Enhanced version.
Can you play FiveM on console?
No. FiveM runs on Windows PC only, so console players looking for GTA roleplay have no FiveM route.
Is Saints Row (2022) co-op?
Yes, the campaign supports two-player online co-op. We could not confirm crossplay, so plan on playing on the same platform.
Will GTA Online shut down when GTA 6 comes out?
Nothing says so. Take-Two's CEO has said he expects to keep supporting GTA Online after GTA 6 launches, as of November 2, 2026.