Should GTA Online have crossplay as a standalone title in 2021?

Modified Feb 25, 2021 20:05 GMT

Fans clamor for GTA Online to have crossplay in 2021, but is it honestly a good idea?

Some games have crossplay and cross-progression. Cross progression is highly useful, as sometimes players want to play on a different platform for one reason or another, so having all of their data is highly convenient. Crossplay would allow them to play with other people on separate platforms. Some games have both features or just one, but GTA Online fans would prefer crossplay more, so they can play with their friends on other platforms.

However, crossplay in GTA Online isn't a good idea. There are several reasons as to why that would be the case, although some fans are bound to dislike it. Then again, some fans would absolutely hate the idea of crossplay, so it isn't so black and white. Even something more popular like cross-progression was only available in specific instances, so most players wouldn't be able to use it even in 2021.

Should there be crossplay in GTA Online in 2021?

Crossplay, in general, is a fun idea in theory. However, GTA Online is not a game that would benefit from having crossplay. Yes, playing with more people could be fun, but that's just one of the few benefits crossplay would have if it was implemented in 2021 or later. Crossplay isn't completely devoid of advantages, but its disadvantages make it not worth implementing in GTA Online in 2021.

Benefits of Crossplay

It wouldn't be fair to completely dunk on the notion of crossplay without going into why some people propose the idea in the first place. Crossplay works tremendously well in some games, such as in Genshin Impact. It makes sense in that game, as there is no PVP, so players aren't against each other; rather, they're working together.

In the same vein, crossplay would allow players to run MC Businesses or other revenue streams together. They would be able to do missions, goof around in freemode, and so on and so forth at their own leisure. Crossplay could unite some communities, so there would be some benefit in incorporating it into GTA Online in 2021.

Why crossplay shouldn't be a thing in GTA Online in 2021

In most PVP games, PC players have a sizable advantage over console players. While some players could use a mouse and keyboard with their console, most console players would be entirely unaware on how to do so, making them easy prey for the PC players. There's also the issue of updates, as there will be a point in time that the PS4 and Xbox One won't sync up with PC.

Why PC players have the advantage

Most console players just play with their controllers. Most PC players play with a mouse and keyboard. Comparing the two in a game involving shooting is never fair, and it always leads to the PC player having an advantage. Yes, there are skillful console players that can beat bad PC players, but the best PC players will beat the best console players most of the time in 2021.

PC controls have freedom over the more limited and janky controller. So if there were crossplay for GTA Online in 2021, console players would get irritated when they get smoked by people who can aim. Aim assist could help them a little, but it won't salvage the experience for them, just as it doesn't in most other crossplay games with aim assist in 2021.

The more unfortunate side effect of allowing crossplay in GTA Online in 2021 would be the modding scene. Modders are prevalent on PC (by comparison), considering how easy it is to do on that platform as opposed to doing it on an Xbox or Playstation console. Why console players could fight back against people with better aim, they'll have little to no fun dealing with more modders.

Some consoles will be out of sync with PC

It's fair to assume that PC will always last forever. However, Rockstar Games doesn't always have to support the PS4 or Xbox One when the new consoles come out. The same thing happened with the PS3 and Xbox 360, and it's not like those two consoles couldn't support a lower-quality version of modern updates.

Rockstar Games simply chose not to update it further, as it wasn't worth the expenses to update it. However, that's where the next problem would come in. Players who would want crossplay between these old consoles in 2021 would be disappointed to hear that they're in different update versions, making them incompatible. The PS3's last update was 1.36, while the Xbox 360's was 1.29, nearly a year before the PS3's.

If something similar happened between the PS4 and the Xbox One, then there wouldn't be much of a point in trying to figure out crossplay for GTA Online in 2021 if they'll become obsolete in favor of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Rockstar could continue to support GTA Online on those two consoles, but there's always a possibility that it would be abandoned like the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of GTA Online.

Edited by Nikhil Vinod