Did the Rolling Stones ever plan to make 'Rarities 1971–2003' or 'GRRR!' their final release?

No. Neither ‘Rarities 1971–2003’ nor ‘GRRR!’ was ever seriously considered by the Rolling Stones as a planned final album before disbanding. The band has consistently refused to make any formal retirement announcement, and both releases were designed as retrospective celebrations, not farewells.

‘Rarities 1971–2003’ was a 2005 B‑sides and outtakes compilation issued by ABKCO (the label controlling their pre‑1971 catalog) — essentially a fan‑service deep‑dive, not a band‑driven closure. ‘GRRR!’ was released in 2012 to mark the 50th anniversary and included three new studio tracks (“Doom and Gloom,” “One More Shot”), which would be a weird move for a final farewell. Keith Richards has repeatedly said the band will stop when one of them dies, and they’ve kept touring and recording after both releases — most recently 2023’s ‘Hackney Diamonds’. So no, the Stones never anchored those compilations as the final chapter.