Grand Theft Auto is easily the most popular open-world franchise to ever exist. It boasts hundreds of millions of copies sold since it debuted in the late 1990s, and it’s a household name. Since 2013, with the introduction of GTA Online, the GTA ecosystem has been built around a thriving multiplayer platform. It’s the core product that Rockstar Games has kept updated for more than a decade, but we’re looking at it today and asking an important question: ‘Is GTA cross-platform?’
For many millions of players, GTA Online is the beating heart of the franchise. It’s arguably the most profitable multiplayer platform to ever exist, netting Rockstar Games billions of dollars over the last ten years. It has become a full-fledged game throughout that lifecycle, but does GTA 5 crossplay exist? Is GTA Online a cross-platform game? It’s a hugely popular platform, but has Rockstar Games infused it with one of the most common multiplayer features in modern gaming?
Let’s find out.
For some fans of the franchise, the line, ‘GTA V: the greatest game of all time‘, is a factual statement. Since the game launched in September 2013, it has dominated sales charts, pulled in billions of dollars in revenue for Rockstar Games, and entertained tens of millions of players. It has been re-released across three generations of consoles, and despite having no solid single-player updates since it was released, it has remained at the top of the table.
As a community, the love for Grand Theft Auto goes back two decades. Throughout history, the franchise has seen some monumentally huge launches, with the core popularity of Grand Theft Auto emerging in the ‘PlayStation 2 era’. There are universally fond memories of sitting in front of the television, slamming the best GTA San Andreas cheat codes into the game, and exploring a vast, diverse, open-world environment.
According to statistics, Grand Theft Auto is the fifth best-selling video game franchise of all time. Moreover, GTA V is the second best-selling individual video game in history, selling more than 170 million copies as of 2022, with the figure set to keep on climbing. With all this information in mind, let’s take a look at the multiplayer modes introduced by Rockstar Games in recent years. We’ll discover if GTA 5 crossplay features exist, and answer the all-important question: ‘is GTA cross-platform’?
Let’s be honest, when we’re asking if GTA is cross-platform, what we’re really questioning is whether GTA Online is cross-platform compatible. While previous GTA titles boasted multiplayer platforms, they were minimal in their features and functions. GTA Online is a living, breathing thing that is updated all the time, growing ever bigger and more impressive with each new content drop. If any GTA game has the potential for crossplay functionality, surely it’s GTA Online.
Sadly, GTA is not cross-platform – and that includes Grand Theft Auto Online, of course. There are no crossplay mechanics present in GTA 5 or GTA Online, locking players onto their respective platforms when they enjoy the open-world multiplayer epic. There’s cross-progression in GTA Online thanks to the Rockstar Games account system, but that’s as deep as it goes. That means that if your friend is on Xbox Series X and you’re on PlayStation 5, you won’t be able to play with one another.
While GTA Online crossplay features don’t exist today, can we hope that GTA 6 is a cross-platform game?
Image Credit: Rockstar Games
In December 2023, Rockstar Games revealed Grand Theft Auto 6, the next instalment in the far-reaching and ambitious series. It was revealed that the GTA 6 release date will land somewhere in 2025, but that’s all we know. It’s also not yet known if Grand Theft Auto 6 will have its own multiplayer universe, which is a huge point of interest for fans around the world. At present, we have no idea if GTA 6 will become one of the best crossplay games out there, marking a first for the franchise.
It’s almost inevitable that GTA 6 will have its own online platform, and that Rockstar Games will treat it the same way as it has GTA Online. It’ll be a platform that’s periodically updated with new missions, vehicles, weapons, cosmetics, and rewards. For now, all we can do is wait and hope to learn more information soon.
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