Is GTA Online worth playing in 2022?

I don’t have to introduce Grand Theft Auto Online to you; it’d be like asking someone if they’ve ever heard of a director named Steven Spielberg. “GTA” is a household name, used by bored teens and concerned media pundits alike. We’re still a ways out from any official information on Rockstar’s next narrative campaign in Grand Theft Auto 6.GTA Online is a convenient way to enjoy all things Grand Theft Auto.

Rockstar’s crime franchise has vacillated wildly in scope and tone over the years, from grounded, small-time drug robberies to wild, wacky, satirical characters who love cocaine and murder. GTA Online makes every effort to make it as useful and enjoyable as possible. AllThis is the best. First, the player arrives in person with only a few dollars, a car and a photo. From there, they connect with the city’s south side, and work their way up to being a multimillionaire mogul committing high-end car thefts and celebrity robberies.

Rockstar has created a series of open-world activities and structured game modes that allow people to essentially pick their own flavor of Grand Theft Auto — at least, once they’ve settled in and unlocked the various modes. If you remember the days of popping in cheat codes and equipping a rocket launcher to shoot at the poor citizens of San Andreas, or the scheming, cigar-smoke hazy ’80s vibe of Vice City, then you can absolutely capture that.

GTA Online - A player sprints across the screen, surrounded by explosions and gunfire. They have the objective to find and eliminate the Triad Lieutenants.

Image: Rockstar Games

In effect, GTA Online’s conceit is to offer a theme park that functions as a facsimile of the modern world. You might get mission invitations on your phone; random events on the streets might ask players to do the most damage or drive into traffic while not getting struck (for as long) as they can. Nine years after its launch, this San Andreas still feels like a vibrant open world — if a culturally dated one — and there’s always the simple joy of colliding with motorcycles on the highway to watch NPCs ragdoll over your supercar.

If you’re not interested in playing an amped up version of Hot Wheels in the sky or having armored vehicles battle to the death in the Thunderdome, there is more grounded content to sample. If you have everything unlocked, it’s hard to get bored in GTA Online. I can play a mini campaign around a heist in the Diamond Casino, or just mess around with my friends in a game mode that’s basically Tron. Businesses and businesses offer lucrative single-player loops like gun-running or stocking warehouses with high-end cars.

GTA Online - A sophisticated looking business owner in aviator shades and a white coat stands in the middle of his big warheouse.

Image: Rockstar Games

Some of Rockstar’s storytelling has matured in the sandbox, both in comparison to GTA 5GTA Online’s first missions. Lester, an incredibly charming character. GTA 5’s campaign, is one of also the protagonists of GTA Online, and it’s nice to see him get his own love story in the multiplayer counterpart. In GTA Online, the silent protagonist deals with eccentric, deeply flawed people who can’t get off the treadmill of capitalism. They’ve usually identified some kind of cool crime opportunity, and they either want you to do it on They behalf or stop their rival from ruining their operation. The quality of the scripted characters notwithstanding, NPCs on the street sorely need an update — their kvetching about selfies, social media, and kale smoothies is wearing pretty thin in 2022.

There’s also the problem of merely GetAll of the content. GTA Online will be available in 2022. You’ll need to navigate through endless upgrades and content. There are also tiers of missions that you can complete. Some of this is a natural occurrence for what’s essentially an evolving platform, but regardless: So much of the good content is buried under an exorbitant amount of bland stepping stones.

As a player who’s been plugging away at the grind since the Xbox 360 days, I’m able to stroll in with pockets full of in-game currency and pay for new expansions the day Rockstar releases them. If you want the hottest condo, coolest town, and most exciting missions, you’ll have to unlock resources and reinvest them in profitable enterprises. There’s also the monetization. If you don’t want to grind the millions for fully functional arcades with all their new gameplay features and quests, for instance, you could just… buy a Shark Card. A monthly subscription could be purchased for consoles.

All in all, there’s little BadWhat to Say About GTA Online In its current form it is a great game, especially considering that many later campaigns have made improvements and added likable characters. The problem is that hell is other people, and merely existing in San Andreas exposes you to the rest of the game’s player base. Although invite-only sessions may be possible, missions that involve enough risk and reward will require you to attend public sessions. The other players may leave you alone at best. At worst they could bully your day.

GTA Online - two sports cars rev up, ready for an underground race, against a wall of vibrant graffiti

Image: Rockstar Games

In its lowest moments, a session in San Andreas can feel like the Stanford prison experiment, with players willing to spawn camp you endlessly, with tanks or orbital cannons ensuring that there’s no escape beyond quitting out of the server entirely. On PC, other players don’t even need in-game tools to be a bother. Sometimes I log into only to instantly appear in a box, teleport into a sea or see dozens of unpiloted aircraft fall out of the sky within minutes using mod tools. In general, if you don’t already have a dedicated group of friends, I wouldn’t expect to make them in GTA Online.

But there’s a reason why GTA Online sticks around, continually spawning social media memes and sustaining private role-play servers. It’s a theme park that isn’t shy about doling out rewards, and it isn’t particularly concerned with cultivating a sense of realism. Set-pieces and campaigns are great. They are cinematic, thrilling romps. While the companionship from other players might not be as good, it was enough for me to stick around for at least a decade.

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