The submarine has evolved from a niche curiosity in the Grand Theft Auto series into one of the most strategically significant vehicle categories in GTA Online, primarily owing to the introduction of the RUNE Kosatka during The Cayo Perico Heist update of December 2020 (Rockstar Games, 2020). With Grand Theft Auto VI set in the State of Leonida, a tropical, archipelago-rich analogue of Florida, fan and analyst speculation has intensified around whether Rockstar Games will reintroduce, expand, or fundamentally reinvent submersible mechanics in the next iteration of its online platform. This report consolidates evidence from the legacy Kosatka design, the geographic logic of Leonida, and developer commentary patterns to evaluate the plausibility, form, and potential function of submarines in GTA VI Online.
The Kosatka, manufactured in-universe by RUNE and described as a "Propaganda Class" nuclear-powered submarine, draws design cues from the Russian Delta-class and Chinese Type 094 Jin-class submarines (GTA Wiki, 2024). Priced between $2,200,000 and $9,085,000 at Warstock Cache & Carry, it functions less as a mere vehicle and more as a mobile operations base. Its three decks accommodate the Avisa mini-sub, a Sparrow helicopter prop, and either a Toreador or Stromberg weaponised submersible car, while its bridge hosts the Heist Planning Table that gates access to the entire Cayo Perico mission chain (GTA Wiki, 2024). The vessel introduced sonar mechanics that revealed hidden caches and rival submarines, and equipped players with guided missile capability fired from eight permanently open missile tubes (Rockstar Games, 2020).
Crucially, the Kosatka shifted player expectations: a submarine is no longer a one-off Doomsday Heist set piece like the Ramius, but a persistent, customisable, monetised property. Any successor in GTA VI Online will be measured against this template.
Pre-release trailers and marketing material confirm that GTA VI is set across the State of Leonida, with extensive coastline, the Keys-inspired archipelago, and the swamps of Leonida (Rockstar Games, 2023). Macgregor (2024) argues in PC Gamer that the map's emphasis on water traversal — including expanded boating, swimming, and the apparent return of seamlessly enterable interiors — creates a "natural mechanical vacuum" that a submersible class would fill. Where GTA V's San Andreas confined underwater play to a relatively small Pacific shelf, Leonida's Caribbean-style basin offers reefs, wrecks, narcotic-smuggling routes, and naval base targets that map directly onto the Cayo Perico precedent.
Furthermore, the original Cayo Perico island remains an offshore territory in GTA Online. Speculation by Tassi (2024) in Forbes suggests Rockstar may either canonise Cayo Perico within the Leonida region or rebuild a comparable island heist as the flagship endgame loop for GTA VI Online, with a new submarine acting as the gateway property.
Three plausible directions emerge from community and journalist analysis:
A successor submarine is likely to retain three mechanics proven profitable for Rockstar: a heist-gating progression hook, ongoing daily fees (the Kosatka charges $1,225 per day; GTA Wiki, 2024), and tradeable optional upgrades such as sonar and weapon systems. Tassi (2024) speculates that GTA VI Online will adopt a slower monetisation cadence at launch to avoid the criticism that plagued late-stage GTA Online, which may mean a single hero submarine on release with modular expansions sold later.
Not all observers expect submarines to return at launch. Some commentators highlight that Rockstar typically withholds returning vehicle classes for post-launch DLC to drive engagement spikes, and that GTA VI Online may initially focus on ground- and air-based content. Additionally, the move toward more grounded simulation in GTA VI — evident in trailer-shown physics and animation fidelity — may render the cinematic, fast-traversing Kosatka tonally inconsistent without redesign.
The combination of Leonida's maritime geography, the Kosatka's proven commercial success, and Rockstar's pattern of escalating each vehicle category make submarines one of the most strongly anticipated additions to GTA VI Online. Whether they appear at launch or arrive via the inevitable first major heist update, the Kosatka has effectively guaranteed that submersibles are now a permanent fixture of the franchise's online identity.
GTA Wiki (2024) Kosatka. Available at: https://gta.fandom.com/wiki/Kosatka (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Macgregor, J. (2024) 'What we know about GTA 6 so far', PC Gamer, 12 March. Available at: https://www.pcgamer.com/ (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Rockstar Games (2020) The Cayo Perico Heist: Now Available in GTA Online. Rockstar Newswire. Available at: https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Rockstar Games (2023) Grand Theft Auto VI — Trailer 1. Available at: https://www.rockstargames.com/VI (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Tassi, P. (2024) 'What GTA 6 Online might learn from a decade of GTA Online', Forbes, 8 April. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/ (Accessed: 14 May 2026).