GTA OG's success shows that thousands of players are nostalgic for old GTA Online

GTA OG already has over 10,000 signed-up players, which is incredibly impressive for what's essentially just old-school GTA Online. For reference, this modification is based on the old vanilla versions of GTA 5's multiplayer mode back in the PS3 and Xbox 360 era. That means much of the game's content didn't exist yet, ranging from futuristic vehicles such as the Oppressor Mk II to popular features like player-owned businesses.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 servers for GTA Online shut down back on December 16, 2021. Some fans chose not to move on to the modern ports. Thankfully for them, GTA OG launched on October 1, 2023, to a surprisingly warm welcome within the community.

---

GTA OG already has over 10,000 players: Why gamers love this old-school version of GTA Online

Over 10,000 people have signed up, and the game usually has over 1,000 people online at a time (Image via gtao.gg)

GTA OG was fully playable on the original Xbox 360 and PS3 when this article was written. The Xenia emulator couldn't support it then, but RPCS3 did partially run this game for those who wanted to emulate the PS3 version. According to the recent GitHub issues, RPCS3 had problems with doing jobs with other players.

Nonetheless, GTA OG is clearly quite popular for a simple mod. It doesn't add anything new to GTA Online as many popular modifications might do in GTA RP servers. Here, it's just the classic Gen 7 experience.

Interestingly, GTA OG launched on October 1, 2023, which falls in line with GTA Online's 10th anniversary. Rockstar Games has released tons of content into the latter game, but not everybody might have enjoyed the past few years' worth of updates.

All matters tied to installing and setting up the old PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game again are available in the Discord known as discord.gg/gtaog.

---

There's clearly nostalgia for old-school GTA Online

It is worth noting that GTA OG functions well and can save a player's progress, much like old-school GTA Online. Lobbies are often full, so it's not uncommon to see 16 people playing at a time in a single session. Remember, the PS3 and Xbox 360 era only held up to 16 players instead of the usual 30 seen today.

The official Discord usually has over 1,000 people online at a time, indicating that it's not a dead server like many other mods might have. Useful features on that Discord channel include:

• Installation guides for the PS3, Xbox 360, and RPCS3
• Server status
• Public bans and why somebody got banned

It's not surprising to see this mod succeed since it's essentially based on an immensely successful game in its original state.

This game was a huge hit back in 2013 (Image via Rockstar Games)

Many gamers are understandably fond of their nostalgic memories. The metagame has shifted drastically over the years, so there is also a case of curiosity for checking out GTA OG to gauge the difference against its modern counterpart.

In just two days, this mod had over 10,000 players. Whether it can keep this momentum or sharply decline in the future remains to be seen. At the very least, there is clearly a market for the original vision of GTA 5's multiplayer mode.

This type of mod could become even more relevant once the eventual GTA 6 release date emerges, as that could impact GTA Online's influence in the long run.