Cruising through the sun-soaked streets of Los Santos, while driving recklessly and crashing into cars is an experience in GTA 5 that never gets old. But rolling on the streets with your buddies would certainly crank up the fun. This has led many to the question, “Is GTA 5 crossplay?”. Sadly, the answer is no.
This means that players on PlayStation can’t team up with those on PC and Xbox, and vice versa. It begs the question though: why hasn’t Rockstar responded to all the pleas for this highly anticipated and lucrative feature? Is GTA 5 next gen crossplay? Read on to find out!
Why Is GTA 5 Not Crossplay?
Incorporating crossplay into games is a task that’s easier said than done. From taking care of different console infrastructures to maintaining fairness and balance in gameplay across platforms – there are a ton of problems. Here’s every potential reason that might be standing as a wall between us and GTA 5 crossplay.
GTA 5 Crossplay Poses Technical Issues
Gaming platforms like Xbox, and PlayStation each have their unique way of doing things, including how they store game data and manage online saves. So, a GTA 5 game save on your PlayStation might not be translatable to a saved game on Xbox.
Why is GTA 5 not crossplay though? The answer might be that crossplay requires the integration of different systems. This problem might be a very tough and costly nut to crack for the devs over at Rockstar Games. It’s not impossible, but it for sure is a big challenge.
On top of that, the companies that make these consoles – Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo – each have their own unique infrastructure. This makes it a painstaking task for game devs to make their game platform.
GTA 5 Is Already Successful Without Crossplay
Another reason could be that GTA 5 has already established itself as a major powerhouse in the gaming industry, making six-figure sales annually. Since its launch in 2013, the game generated an impressive $600 million from in-game purchases. And to really put its success into perspective, its total earnings to date have reached a mind-boggling $7.7 billion.
And even after all these years, GTA 5 Online consistently brings in about $800 million annually from Shark Cash Cards alone. Given this substantial revenue, it’s possible that Rockstar Games just doesn’t see the necessity to invest additional resources into enabling crossplay. Moreover, the potential technical challenges and costs incurred by such a venture are a headache of their own. So, if you’re still wondering, “Is GTA 5 Online crossplay?”, the answer remains a resounding no.
With GTA 6 right on the horizon, Rockstar has already hinted that the company’s resources are stretched thin. Given this, it’s most likely that the studio will prefer working on GTA 5’s successor, rather than introducing a new costly crossplay feature.
GTA 5 Crossplay Might Not Support Mods
With such a vast and immersive modern-day world, GTA 5 opened up a plethora of possibilities for mod creation. These mods took the GTA 5 experience to new heights, enabling everything from multi-player accessibility on a single PC to transforming the game into the most realistic police chase game ever.
However, the introduction of cross-play could potentially sideline these enjoyable mods. The constant monitoring and updating required to ensure all mods are compatible and fair across all platforms could very well turn out to be a logistical nightmare for Rockstar.
Talking about fairness, these mods could potentially introduce new complications to the game such as cheating or game imbalance. For instance, PC players might have an advantage over console players due to the precision of mouse and keyboard controls. Therefore, while crossplay might seem like a desirable feature, the complexities associated with mod support could be a significant hurdle to its introduction in the game.
Is GTA 5 Next Gen Crossplay?
The game’s next-gen port for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S launched in March 2022, but there’s been no update about adding this highly requested feature. So, is there crossplay on GTA 5 at last? Well, yes, but actually no.
The good news is that if you’re playing on an Xbox Series X and your friends are on Xbox Ones, you can still play together in GTA Online. The same goes for players on PS4s and PS5s. And of course, GTA 5 PC players can play with other PC players, regardless of the game launcher they’re using. Regrettably, that’s the extent of it, as cross-platform play still remains a distant mirage for players.
Many fans were hopeful that the Expanded & Enhanced Remaster of GTA 5 would finally bring crossplay to the game. Unfortunately, the reality did not meet these expectations. Now, with the announcement of GTA 6 set to launch in 2025, it appears that the prospect of crossplay for the next-gen versions of GTA 5 may be indefinitely put on hold. This leaves many in the gaming community wondering what could’ve been with the GTA franchise.
Check out our catalog of accounts for GTA 5 to play on any platform
