Should GTA Online have cross-progression?

GTA 5 has officially made it to three console generations, jumping ship from the PS3 and PS4 all the way to PS5.

Rockstar initially allowed players using the same Social Club profile to transfer their characters once from PS3 to PS4, but the deadline to do so was set at March 6th, 2017.

GTA Online players looking to transfer their progress after this date found themselves locked out and having to start anew, much to their dismay.

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Why cross-progression isn't allowed in GTA 5

GTA Online on previous-gen consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360 were open to a lot of exploits and modifications, allowing players to get unrealistic amounts of money and items.

After the release of the PS4 and Xbox One, Rockstar allowed players to transfer their characters once to a platform of choice, but not again after that.

This is done to prevent players from hopping onto a previous-gen console, mod the account with a lot of money, and transfer it to the current-gen, therefore allowing them to cheat the system.

While this is a fair measure to deal with players using unfair means, many legitimate players who later simply upgraded to newer gen hardware and spent their money to buy one more copy of GTA 5 are left out in the cold.

While this is harsh, Rockstar does soften the blow for existing players by offering "Returning Player Bonuses." Players eligible for this get the following items totaling over 2 million GTA dollars for free in GTA Online:

• Imponte Dukes
• Declasse Stallion
• Blista Compact
• Imponte Duke O'Death
• Mammoth Dodo (seaplane)
• Kraken Submersible
• Cheval Marshall
• Burger Shot Stallion
• Pißwasser Dominator
• Redwood Gauntlet
• Sprunk Buffalo
• Hatchet
• Exclusive clothing