5 of the worst GTA Online updates (Summer DLCs) so far

Modified Jun 24, 2024 14:12 GMT

GTA Online Summer DLCs have been integral to the game since 2014. Till June 2023, Rockstar Games has added 16 Summer DLCs. While the community loved most of them, some also faced criticism. Nonetheless, they are now an inseparable part of the game's history. The player base is expecting a few more Summer DLCs before the release of GTA 6.

While we’ve already discussed the best GTA Online Summer DLCs so far, this article lists five of the worst Summer DLCs released in the multiplayer game.

Note: This article is subjective and only reflects the writer’s opinions. The listing is not in any order.

5 terrible GTA Online Summer DLC updates so far

1) San Andreas Mercenaries - June 2023

A screenshot from the San Andreas Mercenaries DLC (Image via Rockstar Games)

The San Andreas Mercenaries DLC is arguably the worst GTA Online Summer DLC update so far. The player base often complains that Rockstar Games took more from this update than it provided. This DLC is notorious for removing nearly 200 vehicles from the game and later listing them behind a paywall.

The main gameplay content added with the DLC was also mediocre and was soon forgotten by the community.

2) The Independence Day Special - July 2014

The Summer of 2014 was a tough time for Rockstar as it released multiple updates to please the community. However, The Independence Day Special update did not live up to its mark. The main reason was that it was a small GTA Online Summer update, and the contents were later removed from the game (except for those who acquired them during the DLC period).

Rockstar Games still releases Independence Day Special updates. However, it has become a subpart of the main Summer DLC and offers more content, deals, and bonuses than before.

3) The San Andreas Flight School Update - August 2014

The San Andreas Flight School Update was a very small DLC primarily focused on the Flight School. It added only one new car in GTA Online and three aircraft. The Flight School is already present in Story Mode and teaches several basic flying skills you require in the game.

Although the GTA Online update added some new skills, they do not have any practical use. Moreover, Rockstar reduced the payouts for various contact missions as part of the update.

4) Los Santos Summer Special - August 2020

The Los Santos Summer Special was an unfortunate update that Rockstar Games had to create and execute within a short period. Many rumors suggest that the studio planned to release the GTA Online Cops ‘n’ Crooks DLC at the time. However, due to the outbreak of the Black Lives Matter protests in America, Rockstar had to scrap the update to avoid political controversies.

As a result, players got the GTA Online: Los Santos Summer Special DLC with some new basic missions, vehicles, and a few new changes.

5) Ill-Gotten Gains - June/July 2015

The official poster of the Ill-Gotten Gains - Part 1 DLC (Image via Rockstar Games)

The Ill-Gotten Gains DLC was divided into two parts (Part 1 and Part 2) and released in June 2015 and July 2015, respectively. They were small updates where Rockstar Games tried to balance the gameplay after it suffered from multiple money glitches. Ill-Gotten Gains was one of the first updates where the studio charged extravagant rates for cars and other items.

It was also the last DLC update on the PS3 and Xbox 360. After that, all GTA Online DLC updates were released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC until the release of the current-gen consoles.

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