In a nutshell: Developer Rockstar Games has announced that Grand Theft Auto Online and website stat tracking via the Rockstar Games Social Club will be shutting down on December 16, 2021, on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Those systems launched in 2005 and 2006, respectively, and have long since been discontinued to make way for newer, more powerful generations of consoles.
Rockstar added that Shark Cash Cards, which facilitate in-game purchases, will no longer be sold for these platforms after September 15, 2021.
It's worth mentioning that these changes won't have any impact on access to, or progress within, Grand Theft Auto V's story mode.
Website stat tracking is also going away for Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Max Payne 3 and L.A. Noire on September 16, 2021.
Grand Theft Auto V hit the scene in September 2013, with GTA Online rolling out just one month later. Both have been overwhelming successful, with GTA V currently holding the spot as the second best-selling video game ever. As of last month, Rockstar has sold 145 million copies of GTA V.
Some even believe the staying power of the game has prompted Rockstar to hold off on the launch of a sequel.