5 of the most important changes to GTA Online since its debut back in 2013

GTA Online is a game that has been around for nearly a decade, and it's changed a lot since it came out. Back then, the game was pretty simple. There were a few Contact Missions, but there weren't things like heists, businesses, or a plethora of new vehicles that players know and love today.

However, not every update the title has received thus far has been major. Many of the early updates were largely filler, with some of the later updates offering what's essentially dead content as well. Ergo, it's worth checking out some of the most significant updates and how they impacted GTA Online.

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5 updates to GTA Online that forever changed how the game was played

5) Heists Update

The official artwork for this update (Image via Rockstar Games)

This update was the first one that didn't add any new content to the single-player game (GTA 5). This was tragic for gamers who enjoyed GTA 5 more than GTA Online, and it was a trend that continued with future updates. More importantly, it introduced several new heists to GTA Online, which consisted of:

• Fleeca Job
• Prison Break
• Humane Lab Raid
• Series A Funding
• Pacific Standard Job

The heists paid excellent money at the time and necessitated GTA Online players to work together in order to succeed. Future updates like The Diamond Casino Heist would expand on this concept, while semi-recent ones like The Cayo Perico Heist strayed from it.

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4) Content Creator

The second-ever update to GTA Online introduced the Content Creator. It was a massive change for the game back then, allowing creative players to create new jobs and not just rely on Rockstar's official missions. This feature continued to get new updates throughout the years, with gamers making thousands of interesting jobs since then.

It was especially relevant back in the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, as players didn't have much content to engage themselves in besides heists.

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3) Update to Suspension and Ban Policy

An iconic message (Image via Rockstar Games)

Any player who claims to have wrongfully been banned or suspended will hate Rockstar's update to their Suspension and Ban Policy that made its presence known on October 12, 2016. That update made it so:

• The first ban would last for 30 days and would remove all of the player's progress
• The second ban was permanent

Previously, the player would not lose all of their progress. Not only that, the first suspension only lasted for 14 days, with the second one being 30 days. It took three bans for it to be permanent.

The update might dissuade some players from cheating, but it's not as effective in that regard as one might hope for, which is evident based on how many modders there are on PC.

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2) The introduction of the Oppressor Mk II (After Hours)

One flying motorcycle forever changed how this game was meant to be played. The Oppressor Mk II is the most infamous and hated vehicle in all of GTA Online, particularly because it's extremely powerful and braindead to use. However, those attributes also make it a godsend for general PVE activities.

The world in GTA Online is huge, making missions that require a player to go from one spot to another on the other side of the map a pain. A flying motorcycle makes that much more manageable, especially since it's easier to bring out than traditional aircraft.

Of course, anybody who played in a Freemode lobby would remember how commonplace this vehicle was. And while things like the Missile Lock-On Jammer have curbed its effectiveness, this flying motorcycle is still a valuable part of the modern metagame.

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1) The Cayo Perico Heist

Poor El Rubio has been robbed so often (Image via Rockstar Games)

There has never been a better moneymaker for solo players who haven't relied on exploits or Shark Cards than The Cayo Perico Heist. This update was released on December 15, 2020, and has since been a heist that GTA Online players have grinded thousands of times.

The heist finale and setup missions are easy to do once a player familiarizes themselves with how things go, which makes farming the heist a breeze. Most items in recent updates tend to cost an exorbitant amount of money, making this update excellent for the average GTA Online player.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.