
The new player situation only gets worse during endgame content, like the Diamond Casino Heist. I’ve heard similar complaints from more seasoned players, who feel that newbies often break unspoken rules, like blundering into someone else’s escort cargo so they fail their mission. But as I’ve recently learned from my time in the game, new players who don’t know how anything works tend to cause problems in GTA Online. In many ways, this is a boon - an online game continually needs fresh blood, lest the community wither away. Rockstar has never confirmed the game’s exact player base or given a ballpark figure, but Grand Theft Auto 5 has sold over 130 million copies, which gives it a massive potential population. But anyone who jumps in for the first time will be hit with a terrible truth: Veteran fans are rich, angry jerks who can afford tanks and orbital cannons.Īccording to Take Two Interactive’s most recent investors call, GTA Online had broken records for player numbers in July 2019, and then broke that record again every month from December 2019 through to March 2020. Fans have built on that hype through viral alien gang wars that encourage newbies to log in and pick a side. In May, Rockstar flung open the gates to Los Santos by giving away Grand Theft Auto 5 on the Epic Games Store for a limited time, along with millions of in-game dollars just for logging in.

It’s never been more tempting to get into Grand Theft Auto Online, and that’s by design.
