5 improvements GTA Online can incorporate in 2021 while the players wait for GTA 6

By all accounts, GTA Online has been an unbelievably successful title for Rockstar Games, and it has been gaining momentum ever since its launch. The game has been picking up steam and has a large active player base across different platforms.

Regardless of the success and obvious positive reception, many seem to hold GTA Online accountable for the lack of a mainline sequel in the franchise. To many, Rockstar Games have been "milking" the game for what it is worth and delaying a sequel for as long as possible.

However, GTA Online has been steadily improving with major title updates that massively change the game. So much so that the game will be released as a standalone title later this year.

However, to keep players engaged as they wait for a sequel, GTA Online must make some changes to please the fanbase.

5 improvements GTA Online can incorporate in 2021 while the players wait for GTA 6

#5 - Remove Shark Cards

One of the biggest controversies in the gaming industry and a hotly debated topic is microtransactions in AAA games. The contention is that a AAA game that typically cost $60 shouldn't include in-game purchases that essentially turn the game into a "pay to win" situation.

Shark Cards allow certain players to get an edge over other players in terms of what they can afford in GTA Online. Therefore, newer players just starting are less encouraged to play the game and would much rather pay real money to progress.

As GTA Online becomes a standalone title, the need for the game to be supported by microtransactions won't make much sense.

#4 - Better communication from Rockstar

Celebrate the holidays in GTA Online this week with a free Grotti Brioso 300, compliments of Southern San Andreas Super Autos.Plus, there's an assortment of seasonal gifts and a fresh blanket of snow covering the landscape: https://t.co/x7SvYHDl5Q pic.twitter.com/m9uByRqCrh

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) December 22, 2020

The way GTA Online has functioned so far, Rockstar will occasionally drop some information related to the game and its updates, followed by radio silence for weeks and even months.

As a result, each announcement becomes a huge surprise, but on the flip side, players can also get disinterested and stop playing the game entirely. Many would have abandoned GTA Online months before a quality update simply because Rockstar doesn't communicate effectively. The updates then end up feeling reactive and not by design.

#3 - A Solid Roadmap of Content

Most AAA games today with post-launch content have solid roadmaps for the entire year (Image via Ubisoft)

In tandem with the previous point, it is high time that Rockstar Games put out a solid roadmap of content. The "games as a service" model of some of the most popular games of today, like Fortnite or Apex Legends, release content updates that are announced in advance through a roadmap.

If players are to continue with the game throughout the year, a roadmap of content will go a long way to ensuring that. This way, fans will always have content to look forward to instead of having it sprung upon them sporadically.

#2 - Procedurally generated missions

For many players, the appeal of GTA Online comes from its many PvE missions and match types. However, there are only so many contact missions and heists in the game to keep the players engaged.

Having a procedurally generated set of missions can go a long way in keeping players interested. While those missions won't have the voice acting, cutscenes, or proper character moments, a quasi-dungeon crawler GTA experience might be exciting.

Games like No Man's Sky have excelled by having entire procedurally-generated worlds for the player to explore. Having players run through randomized mission areas and objectives will make for an extremely engaging game mode in GTA Online.

#1 - New Game Modes

In its current state, GTA Online is incredibly rich in variety, with plenty of game modes and match types, ranging from transform races to multi-stage heists. It is honestly astounding how much variation there is in the game and the amount of things one can do.

However, once the game becomes a standalone title, Rockstar will probably need to introduce some big changes to keep the game from getting stale.

Just adding another heist will probably not quench the fans' demands, but a new game mode just might.