GTA 6 Online Has to Fix This Major Issue

Grand Theft Auto VI needs to fix a major issue that exists in GTA Online. Back in 2013, Rockstar Games revealed its grand plans for GTA Online, a brand new multiplayer experience that would be released alongside Grand Theft Auto V. The idea was extremely ambitious as Rockstar was basically building out an advanced MMO where players could have homes, cars, unique appearances, and more. It’s an ever-evolving world that has grown to have flying motorbikes, multiple criminal enterprises, giant heists that turn into world-saving missions, and it’s all still going. It’s expected that we will get at least one more GTA Online update before GTA 6 releases next year, though there could be more.

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After 12 years, there’s still nothing like GTA Online. APB Reloaded had similar ambitions, but wasn’t executed very well and ultimately crashed and burned. We don’t know much at all about GTA 6 Online beyond some rumors, but one has to imagine it is going to be a big priority for Rockstar. GTA Online was never meant to last as long as it has, but GTA 6 Online will almost certainly be built for longevity with rumors that more cities and locations could be added to the game over time.

GTA 6 Online Needs to Create a More Stable Economy

It’s likely going to be even bigger and better than GTA Online, but Rockstar has to get a handle on one of the biggest issues with the mode: the economy. As we can see from reality itself, balancing a stable economy is no small feat. There are so many complicated factors when making sure things are affordable and people have money to buy things. Never did I think this would be a talking point when it came to a video game, but it is a massive piece of GTA Online. The game revolves around money and Rockstar has made plenty of commentary on money and capitalism across its various games.

There isn’t really an end to GTA Online, the goal is just to make tons of money so you can keep fulfilling your greed of having extravagant sports cars, high-rise apartments, and multiple businesses to launder your ill-gotten gains. However, unlike real life where get rich quick schemes aren’t really viable, GTA Online has a long history of methods to boost your bank account with exploits.

When GTA Online was released, the two most expensive items in the game were the Titan, a giant aircraft worth $2 million in-game, and the million dollar Adder super car. $2 million dollars is a lot of money and it should feel that way, especially when you start the game with next to nothing. However, fans quickly began finding glitches and exploits that would allow them to make lots of money, such as a race around the prison that could quickly generate cash and XP due to the fact the track was so short. Modding on Xbox 360 and PS3 also grew prevalent, allowing players to get millions of dollars with ease.

While Rockstar Games did its best to combat this and has made efforts to reset bank accounts that have been artificially boosted, there will always be glitches and exploits that give players tons of money. It’s impossible to completely counter it. Each update has also added more ways to make money, even including semi-passive income opportunities. So, Rockstar started raising prices on items, almost as a form of in-game inflation. Because there was so much money being generated from players, the developer had to even it out by making things more expensive.

Shark Cards, the in-game credit cards that can be purchased with real money, are also believed to be a contributing factor to the inflation. Rockstar has to make money off this game, so incentivizing them to spend money on microtransactions also helps.

Ultimately, now it feels like things are way too expensive in GTA Online. Rockstar does a good job of trying to give players ways to make money via weekly updates that add bonuses for certain activities and by giving newcomers a free items and a business along with starting cash to get them going, but it doesn’t change the fact that things are still absurdly priced. Eventually, it starts to feel like more of a grind when you are managing multiple different businesses all over the entire map.

GTA Online can be fun because doing things like heists make a ton of money without feeling like a grind. They’re epic set pieces that allow you to live out a criminal fantasy in cinematic ways. However, moving and selling illegal items from warehouses is where it starts to feel repetitive and less interesting. It may make you more money, but it’s not completely fulfilling.

Ultimately, I am hoping that Rockstar Games can take what it learned from GTA Online to lay a better foundation from the beginning with GTA 6 Online. Create a fair and balanced economy that can be sustained over time without radical changes. Similarly, continue to lean into more engaging ways to make money so that it’s consistently fun rather than eventually turning into a bit of a chore with required maintenance. I’d also love to see the seemingly planned stock market for GTA Online, especially since gambling already exists via the casino.

The idea of being able to do insider trading by destroying a certain brand of cars, buying tons of products from a single store, or doing some kind of damage that could cause stocks to rise and fall would be extremely interesting. Of course, it could also totally break the game and destabilize the economy even further, so maybe it’s not even feasible. However, if Rockstar could find a way to make it work, it could be really interesting.

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