Rockstar Games over the years has garnered a lot of goodwill from the video gaming community and not just with their quality titles such as the GTA franchise.
Rockstar is one of the few major publishers that put out AAA titles worth their price tag and without implementing pay-to-win microtransactions in their online components.
While GTA: Online, one of their most popular Online products, has micro-transactions, they do not severely break the game in terms of balancing. Most PvP match modes in the game are not affected by the player's personal purchases.
While many publishers would have charged a hefty sum to play GTA: Online, which is honestly another title by itself rather than just an online component. You get access to GTA: Online if you purchase GTA 5.
Also Read: The Last of Us: Fan Casting the HBO Show
How to Play GTA: Online
You will need a PlayStation Plus membership if you wish to play the online multiplayer on your PS4. The same goes for Xbox One, where you are required to have Xbox Live membership if you want to play GTA: Online.
However, on PC, you can play any online game, including GTA: Online for free, other than obviously the cost of purchasing the game.
Once you have bought GTA 5 from an online library such as Steam or Epic Games Store, you can launch the game. Launching the game will load the Main Menu of GTA 5.
From here, you can choose to go into 'Story Mode' or 'Online'. Selecting 'Online' will put you straight into GTA: Online and you can begin your online experience.
The game will require you to first create your Online character, and then gives you the option of playing through a Tutorial. Once that is complete, you can choose to do whatever you desire in GTA: Online.
In a Nutshell:
To play GTA online you will first have to buy GTA V on any platform you would like to play on. Then select 'Online' .The game will require you to create an Online character, and then launches a Tutorial to get you familiar with all its mechanics. After completing the tutorial, you will be able to play GTA Online without any interruptions.
Also Read: GTA 5: PC System Requirements
For comprehensive guides and walkthroughs, check out SK GTA Wiki
Edited by Utkarsh Rampal
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Grand Theft Auto 5 is almost a decade old, but players around the world are still dropping into Los Santos. It’s no wonder that players want to play with their friends but does GTA Online feature cross-platform play on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation.
Crossplay has become commonplace for the biggest multiplayer titles. While games like Fortnite and Apex Legends introduced it first, Warzone and Call of Duty’s use of the system have been monumental, allowing players to drop into Caldera, Rebirth Island, or Fortune’s Keep together, no matter their preferred platform.
Although GTA Online has been out since 2013, its popularity hasn’t declined thanks to roleplaying servers like NoPixel, and massive updates like this summer’s Criminal Enterprises DLC, which added six new vehicles to the game.
With GTA Online dominating the market on PC, Xbox One, and PS4, and the next-gen Expanded & Enhanced version of GTA V out now, players are desperate to find out if they can play with their friends.
Content
- Does GTA Online have crossplay?
- Can you play GTA Online with people in the same console family?
- Do you need to use the same launcher to play GTA Online together on PC?
- Why doesn’t GTA V have crossplay?
- Will GTA Online ever get crossplay?
Does GTA Online have crossplay?
While the game is available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, the bad news is that GTA Online does not feature crossplay, meaning players can’t join friends on other systems.
At the time of writing, this also includes the Expanded & Enhanced remaster of GTA V and GTA Online. Fans will be hopeful that GTA 6 will include this feature, although there’s no information about when it will release.
Can you play GTA Online with people in the same system family?
While GTA Online doesn’t have full cross-platform play capabilities, you can play GTA Online with people using systems in the same console family.
That means if you have an Xbox Series X, but your friends own Xbox Ones, you can still jump into lobbies together. The same applies to those who own PS4s and PS5s.
Can I play GTA Online on PC with friends using different launchers?
GTA V is available on a number of different launchers on PC, including Steam, Epic Games, and Rockstar’s own program.
The good news is that you don’t need to all have the same version of the game, as PC players can play GTA Online with anyone using a computer, regardless of which platform they use to own the game.
Why doesn’t GTA V have crossplay?
When Rockstar’s GTA V and its online component first launched in 2013, crossplay was a mere fantasy for gamers. This was nearing the end of the Xbox 360 and PS3’s lifecycles, and various agreements between Xbox and PlayStation prevented crossplay from being a reality.
- Read more: All Treasure Hunt clue locations in GTA Online
GTA V then launched on the Xbox One and PS4 in 2014, and the PC edition came a year later in 2015. This was still before crossplay became something gamers expected from new releases.
Cut to 2018, and Fortnite set the bar for crossplay across games. For the first time ever, players on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and even Nintendo Switch and mobile could play together. This has now become the standard for multiplayer games, but GTA Online is yet to make the jump.
Never mind the coding required, a significant amount of balance tweaks need to be made for a game to fairly become cross-platform. PC players can take advantage of higher graphics and framerates, while console players have aim assist, and these all need to be considered to make a fair playing field.
It’s likely that a lot of work would need to go into making GTA Online cross-play, and this doesn’t coincide with developers’ current plans for the game.
Will GTA Online ever get cross-platform play?
While some Grand Theft Auto fans hoped the release of the Expanded & Enhanced Remaster of GTA V would bring crossplay, it doesn’t appear that this is the case.
- Read more: GTA Online Weekly patch notes
With the game now rolling out across regions, this was likely the last chance Rockstar had to add cross-platform play to the game. Rockstar will now focus on GTA 6, which makes it unlikely that crossplay will be added to GTA Online in the future.
Will GTA 6 have crossplay?
Rockstar have officially confirmed that they are working on Grand Theft Auto 6, although details about the game and its release date are thin on the ground.
With the developers still quiet on what will be included in the game, it’s impossible to know for sure if GTA 6 will have cross-platform play. If it wants to match up with the latest games on the market though, Rockstar will have to ensure crossplay is included in GTA 6.
Of course, the game’s devs could surprise us, but with no new versions on the horizon now, and the announcement that they’re working on the next installment of the game, it doesn’t seem that crossplay is on the cards.
Image Credit: Rockstar Games