Should Rockstar make all GTA Online content available solo?

Modified Apr 24, 2021 18:51 GMT

There are certainly some strong cases to be made for Rockstar making more GTA Online content available solo.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to doing something like this. The main disadvantage would be spending resources for some content players might not participate much in, but the general advantages are still worth considering. Naturally, there is a difference between "Should Rockstar..." and "Will Rockstar..."

The former is more opinionated and focuses on both sides of the argument. The latter pertains more to the possibility of whether or not Rockstar would add it. In the latter case, it's "no." However, the former case is more interesting to discuss.

Should Rockstar make all GTA Online content available solo?

Now, it should be stated that making GTA Online content available for solo players wouldn't be an act of desperation because of dwindling numbers. That's simply not true, as GTA Online has been doing amazingly as of recent years. Instead, this article is focusing more on the convenience of making certain content solo.

Advantages of making everything solo content

Before diving into the meat of the argument, it's vital to understand some of the advantages of what could happen if everything in GTA Online could be done solo. The most obvious advantage is that it's convenient. In the Cayo Perico Heist (a heist that can be done solo), there is no need to wait for other players to join.

Sometimes, real-life gets in the way of scheduling in GTA Online, so one cannot always rely on others to be on the same time as them. Alternatively, solo content is great for players without friends who play the game.

A quick summary of why making everything in GTA Online available as solo content could benefit the playerbase:

Makes everything more convenient
Allows players to avoid frustrating situations
Players could test out content rather than fully committing to it with a team

Disadvantages of making everything solo content

Of course, there are some disadvantages to making everything become available as solo content. The first one is that it would reduce social interactions. If everybody could do everything on their own, there would be seldom need for interacting with other players.

GTA Online would still be a popular game, but it would feel more desolate in some ways. Another disadvantage is that some players would make fewer friends in GTA Online, as they could more easily avoid the chance of meeting them.

A quick summary of why making everything in GTA Online available as solo content could hurt the playerbase:

Contradictory to the purpose of a multiplayer game
Makes it more difficult to meet new people
Makes all of GTA Online feel more isolated

Solo heists

The main content that players would appreciate being available solo is heists in GTA Online. Normally, it's a pain having to rely on several other players, especially in heists easy enough to be carried out by one player. However, they're still forced to team up with other players, even if the situation doesn't really call for it.

Solo heists aren't unheard of either. The Cayo Perico Heist is one of the most popular heists in the game, and it's one that can be done solo. Of course, it can also be done with a group, so players are given more choices on how they wish to approach the heist.

Ideally, all heists would be like the Cayo Perico Heist. So players that enjoy doing these heists in groups can still do it that way, but players who want to do it solo could do it their way. If needed, a soft nerf to solo viability would be okay as to not entirely eliminate the need of relying on other players for relevant content.

Solo businesses

Selling inventory is best done with a group, but it would be greatly appreciated if a player could sell it on their own. Again, sometimes it's just too inconvenient having to wait for one's friends to be online to make the best profit.

To not entirely remove the viability of having friends in GTA Online, just allow players to go back and forth and sell everything in one go.

Unlikely solo content

Predictably, some game modes like team deathmatch wouldn't work in the context of a player being able to do it on their own. While Rockstar could program NPCs to fulfill a single-player vibe with these game modes, it would honestly be fine if it was just heists and businesses that became more player-friendly.

The likelihood of having all of this happen

As it stands now, it would be highly improbable for Rockstar to retroactively make all content soloable. Instead, new content should focus on the possibility of being soloed just like the Cayo Perico Heist could be soloed. Alternatively, making a few popular activities available to solo players would be greatly appreciated, but this is still highly unlikely to happen.

Edited by Nikhil Vinod