I have yet to see a gaming franchise that competes with Grand Theft Auto at any level. The sheer amount of success, popularity, charm, and nostalgia this franchise created in the hearts of many fans cant be described in words.
I have fond memories of the first time I played Grand Theft Auto: Vice City back in 6th grade and I don’t want to exaggerate but it changed my life. (R.I.P Ray Liotta)
Ignited that passion for games that is still burning to this date. A decade later, Rockstar Studios released GTA V, which (unsurprisingly) became an instant blockbuster and broke sales records. And now, another decade has passed and people are still playing GTA V to this date.
Rockstar studios introduced GTA online which is a separate multiplayer version based on GTA V where upto 30 players are allowed to join and conduct heists, all kinds of illegal stuff you have probably seen in GTA story campaigns.
GTA Online is one of the most played multiplayer right now which is solid proof of how much people love the GTA franchise as a whole.
Now you can play with friends too in the online mode with multiple CO-OP story missions. But I am not here to talk about GTA online ( I can probably talk about it all day ). The main topic of this article is cross platform play.
Cross platform is a huge thing right now in modern multiplayer titles. Most gaming studios are making it a common feature to have in their latest games.
Cross platform allows you to play with your friends no matter what platform you are on. Right now, you can purchase GTA online on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and even older consoles such as Xbox 360 and PS3.
You have a lot of options, to purchase a copy of GTA online but here is one question that you should ask yourself before buying. Does GTA online support cross platform play?
Because if it does then there is no worry, you can play with your friends on any console or PC but what if it doesn’t? Don’t worry, we are going to dig into this deeper going further
Is GTA Cross Platform In 2023?
So is GTA online cross platform in 2023? Well, NO there is no support for crossplay. This might come to you as shocking news because a franchise with a player base this huge, must have crossplay of some sort right?
Unfortunately, this inst the case here. Cross-platform play is very much missing from this game. Back at the launch, this game was released only on consoles.
The initial release was limited to Xbox 360 and PS3 at that time but a year later, the game was made accessible to PC along with the Online multiplayer mode. And then upgraded to newer generation consoles as time went by.
At first, you can understand the decision to not include cross platform play because of how fewer consoles had access to this game but a decade later, this game is pretty much available on all platforms except Nintendo switch and mobiles.
You would think that now is the right time to introduce cross platform play and you are right but there are some technical restrictions that are keeping developers to make this game accessible to everyone. It is related to how the game works on each console.
You are playing GTA online which follows a character career path. You start with nothing then gradually grind and get the good stuff, higher level, multiple businesses. All of this career progress is stored differently on each platform.
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On Xbox, your in-game data is saved in Microsoft servers. As long as you are on Xbox, your data is accessible through those servers Playstation consoles do not have single data storage hub, they can easily store data in their console and play the game as long as they are on a PlayStation device.
To introduce cross platform play developers need to make various tweaks to their game engine so it is compatible with everyone. Consoles and PC are two different things and the way how game works is also dependent on this factor.
It is no doubt one of the best online gaming experiences you can have with your friends but the size and scope of this game require lots of resources and time that developers cannot afford.
Also, PC lobbies are plagued by cheaters and hackers ever since the game went free on the Epic store. You are guaranteed to meet a hacker in most of your games.
Console players are safe from hackers and I think not many but some of those players would agree that no crossplay is a good thing.
But cross platform pros outweigh the cons easily, more players will be tempted to try this game since they are free to choose where to buy.
I can make an argument for faster queue times like other crossplay enabled multiplayer games but GTA online depends on fast SSD when you are loading on the map.
When Will Crossplay Come To GTA?
I can’t make a confirmed statement about crossplay or when it’s coming but to be very realistic, I think the chances for crossplay are slim.
Like I have said above, the technical difficulties, not enough resources, and compatibility problems are major reasons that people are still waiting for cross-play even after 9 years of its release.
A big studio like Rockstar is often busy with other projects and since GTA V was released, they have released Red Dead Redemption 2 ( which is fantastic and surprisingly bigger than GTA V in every way ) so it’s safe to assume that devs are dealing with other projects right now.
Recently in Feb 2023, they confirmed that GTA 6 is going into production and it is going to be their biggest game to date, even surpassing Red Dead Redemption 2.
Tons of hard work, money, and time goes into making AAA games and we all know that there is no beating Rockstar when it comes to the GTA franchise.
They are going to deliver their best as they did every time which is exciting and yet at the same time sad for GTA online fans. Chances for GTA online cross-play are very dim and I hope in the future we see Cross-play in GTA 6 at launch.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Final Verdict:
Such an amazing and fun experience you can have with your friends. Join them, conduct heist plans, unleash your dark side, and create mayhem and chaos on the streets of GTA.
it’s an open-world game and it’s online. But it is a shame that the online aspect of GTA doesn’t allow gamers to play with their friends if they are on different platforms.
Fans are still waiting for some news or announcement from devs on this issue but it is likely that they are going to be waiting for a while. Maybe forever, I can’t say.
There is a very thin silver lining that may be on the release of GTA 6, developers introduce crossplay which is again just speculation.
They can surprise us at any moment and people looking forward to that day, don’t lose hope. In the meantime, stay hyped and keep wreaking havoc in the streets of Los Santos
