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GTA 5 was once the subject of a giveaway on the Epic Games Store, allowing players to claim and keep the full game without paying anything this granted complete access to GTA Online.Īdditionally, counting from the launch of GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, GTA Online went standalone, and in the first three months of its standalone life the game is free to claim and keep on Sony's current generation console - this too is a limited, temporary promotion, hence one cannot call GTA Online "free to play" per se. The overall question is a valid one - there are several reasons why some would think that GTA Online is free to play.įirst of all, it was, and sort of is - temporarily free. Sources of confusion regarding GTA Online’s paid status
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So, if GTA Online ever has player count issues in the future, it is definitely possible that Rockstar will switch to a free format. That said, there have been instances of GTA Online going temporarily free to play and free to keep for promotional purposes, and now that it is standalone and separate from GTA 5, such promos should be even easier to do. It is much easier to just circumvent a ban with a new account when the game in question is free to play, and cheating is something other popular, free titles have been grappling with unsuccessfully. In fact, it might even have drawbacks - GTA Online already had some problems with cheaters and hackers in the past, and going free would very likely invite that sort of problem once again. Since GTA Online is having no issue with growth, there currently is no real reason to switch to a free to play format.
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Possible, but unlikely - going free to play is generally seen as a good move to boost player counts, and the tactic is frequently employed by games with waning populations, unless they were designed to be free from the get go. You'll also need a Rockstar Social Club account - making such an account is free, but does not inherently grant access to any content. Generally speaking, you need to buy either Grand Theft Auto 5, or the newly available standalone and cheaper GTA Online on its own in order to get access. However, GTA Online is not a free to play game. Multiplayer games that reach such staggering heights of popularity, with such massive playerbases that consistently grow after this many years, usually do so by being free - more players are willing to jump in without any obligations than those who are willing to fork over money. There have been isolated promotions and instances where fans had the chance to join GTA Online without having to pay, but these had limited availability and were exceptions - more on that later. We understand why some people might think so, though.
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