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GTA Online has been out for nearly 10 years. The history of this multiplayer game is quite rich, so let's take a gander at it. The title's beginning was rather basic at launch, but it grew to be one of the most popular online games in the world to this day. This multiplayer mode wasn't immediately available upon the debut of Grand Theft Auto 5.
Instead, players had to wait a few weeks for GTA Online to debut on October 1, 2013. It's been nearly a decade since then, and the game still gets updates to this day in both substantial patches and weekly content. Let's see how much this game has changed over the years.
GTA Online's history over the last 10 years
The first few updates of GTA Online were incredibly simple by today's standards. Here are the patches from 2013 to 2014 and when they debuted:
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- Beach Bum: November 19, 2013
- Content Creator: December 10, 2013
- Capture: December 18, 2013
- Holiday Gifts: January 5, 2014
- Valentine's Day Massacre Special: February 13, 2014
- High-Life: May 13, 2014
- I'm Not a Hipster: June 17, 2014
- Independence Day: July 1, 2014
- San Andreas Flight School: August 19, 2014
- Last Team Standing: October 2, 2014
- Festive Surprise: December 18, 2014
These patches often focused on clothes or holidays, something that modern updates don't solely do. These days, a modern DLC would include a holiday as a part of the big content update. It is worth mentioning that many of the features introduced in the 2013 to 2014 patches tend to be underutilized today due to being niche (like how Last Team Standing modes aren't meta to do).
Note that 2013 to 2014 was the PS3 and Xbox 360 era.
2015 to 2016
The next two years of GTA Online would include much of the content that gamers know and love today. Here are the patches from 2015 to 2016 and when they debuted:
- Heists: March 10, 2015
- Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1: June 10, 2015
- Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2: July 8, 2015
- Freemode Events: September 15, 2015
- Lowriders: October 20, 2015
- Halloween Surprise: October 29, 2015
- Executives and Other Criminals: December 15, 2015
- Festive Surprise 2015: December 21, 2015
- January 2016: January 28, 2016
- Be My Valentine: February 10, 2016
- Lowriders: Custom Classics: March 15, 2016
- Further Adventures in Finance and Felony: June 7, 2016
- Cunning Stunts: July 12, 2016
- Bikers: October 4, 2016
- Import/Export: December 13, 2016
Filler patches were still common in this era. One thing of note is that the PS3 and Xbox 360 received their final major update in Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2. Every patch thereafter was for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC ports.
Some familiar features still widely used today were featured in this era, such as:
- Heists
- Organizations
- Businesses
- Storyline missions
It is worth mentioning that 2016 was the last year for filler holiday-themed patches in GTA Online.
2017 to 2019
GTA Online was still heavily focused on multiplayer nearly half a decade after its release in 2013. There wasn't much solo content outside of a few Sell Missions, and that wouldn't change much from 2017 to 2019:
- Cunning Stunts: Vehicle Special Circuit: March 14, 2017
- Gunrunning: June 13, 2017
- Smuggler's Run: August 29, 2017
- The Doomsday Heist: December 12, 2017
- Southern San Andreas Super Sport Series: March 20, 2018
- After Hours: July 24, 2018
- Arena War: December 11, 2018
- The Diamond Casino & Resort: July 23, 2019
- The Diamond Casino Heist: December 12, 2019
Some popular updates came out during this time. Gunrunning adjusted the in-game lore so everything now took place in the present day rather than awkwardly happening a few months prior to the events of Grand Theft Auto 5.
As far as infamous patches go, After Hours introduced the Oppressor Mk II. Griefing was common in prior years with the Hydra and Rhino, but the Oppressor Mk II made it way too easy for how cheap it was. The bike had to get nerfed twice several years later to be less dangerous and cost an absurd amount.
Some other popular content was introduced. After Hours brought forth the Nightclub, a fan-favorite business for AFKers. Similarly, The Diamond Casino & Resort introduced a fun casino for fans of gambling. Two heists also debuted from 2017 to 2019 via The Doomsday Heist and The Diamond Casino Heist.
One important thing of note is that 2019 is when GTA Online started to only get two big patches a year.
2020 to 2023
Here are the big content updates from 2020 to 2023:
- Los Santos Summer Special: August 11, 2020
- The Cayo Perico Heist: December 15, 2020
- Los Santos Tuners: July 20, 2021
- The Contract: December 15, 2021
- PS5 & Xbox Series X|S: March 15, 2022
- The Criminal Enterprises: July 26, 2022
- Los Santos Drug Wars: December 13, 2022
- San Andreas Mercenaries: June 13, 2023
It is worth noting that the PS3 and Xbox 360 servers for GTA Online shut down on December 16, 2021, meaning people who still played on those consoles had to play a modern port to still enjoy this game.
The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S ports on March 15, 2022, introduced new features like HSW upgrades and new graphics modes. This is content still absent from the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
As far as multiplayer changes go, The Cayo Perico Heist introduced the greatest solo moneymaker ever (excluding glitches and certain event week bonuses). GTA Online would continue to become more solo-friendly throughout the next few years. For example, Los Santos Drug Wars would make Agatha's Casino Story missions soloable instead of requiring two players to start.
Criminal Enterprises onward would also focus a bit more on balance changes, which included the notorious Oppressor Mk II nerfs. Much of modern GTA Online still focuses on players doing heists, Sell Missions, and waiting for new weekly updates.
In some ways, the core gameplay has been the same for many years from 2015 onwards. The only difference is the occasional new feature that might powercreep said gameplay mechanics. Who knows what the future brings for GTA Online?
Based on current GTA 6 leaks, the next Grand Theft Auto game seems promising.
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