October 1, 2023, marks the 10th anniversary of GTA Online. What started simply as Grand Theft Auto 5’s multiplayer mode is now in a league of its own, exceeding all expectations. Its developer, Rockstar Games, has devoted a lot of time and resources into making it an incredibly unique and unreplicable experience. It was the gaming studio’s most ambitious project ever and has certainly paid off.
While there have been ups and downs, with many blaming it for the delay of Grand Theft Auto 6, most will admit to enjoying GTA Online at some point in the past decade. So, let’s take a look at some of its best moments on the game’s 10th anniversary.
Remembering GTA Online’s best moments on its 10th anniversary
Although Grand Theft Auto 5 was released on September 17, 2013, players had to wait a few more days for its online mode. It was on October 1, 2013, that GTA Online was finally made available to players on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Initially, the game was pretty bare-bones. But Rockstar soon began dropping free content updates, a trend that continues to date. However, the scenario back then was very different. At the time, the fastest car in the game only cost a million dollars, which seems like a bargain today.
There weren’t many options to make money, but players could complete some Contact missions, participate in races, and match types created by Rockstar Games as well as ones crafted by them via the Content Creator.
GTA 5 and Online were brought over to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2014, hitting a major inflection point with its release on PC in 2015 following the launch of the Heists update. This GTA Online update debuted heists in multiplayer mode, allowing the community to interact like never before.
By this point, many new cars, aircraft, and other vehicles had populated the game. Additionally, players could own apartments of different styles and sizes, giving them more options for spending in-game cash.
As time went on, the game’s scope grew larger, and the title’s community continued to witness multiple such updates. In fact, Rockstar even added a flying car, the Imponte Deluxo, in 2017, taking the game in a completely new direction.
In 2018 came the Pegassi Oppressor MK II, a weaponized flying bike. Most don’t agree with the addition of such vehicles in this franchise, but they are fun to operate nonetheless.
The following year saw the introduction of The Diamond Casino and Resort, a brand new accessible casino, marking the game’s first major map change. Rockstar even added a heist related to the casino a few months later, which helped players make more money than ever before.
In an effort to attract new players, Rockstar offered GTA 5 on the Epic Games Store absolutely free of cost for a week in 2020. Needless to say, the game’s player count skyrocketed. That year also saw the release of The Cayo Perico Heist update, which debuted the first-ever solo heist and a brand new island.
2021’s The Contract update brought back Franklin from the story mode, but the updates since then have been pretty tame. That said, GTA Online was launched on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2022 with significant enhancements and is available as a stand-alone purchase today.
Although the anticipation for Grand Theft Auto 6 and Rockstar’s recent under-delivery of content has somewhat soured the relationship between players and the developer, GTA Online should be remembered and given due credit for letting fans experience countless memorable moments.
