GTA Online May Become Unplayable for Millions Next Year

Some GTA Online users may find themselves unable to play GTA Online come January 30, 2024 without taking action. GTA Online may be roughly a decade old, but millions and millions still play the online component of GTA 5. If you're on console -- PS5, Xbox Series S, or Xbox Series X -- you don't need to worry about the date above as it does not pertain to you. If you're on PC, it may also not pertain to you, but it could, depending on how you've been playing GTA Online.  To this end, if you're playing the game -- or any other game from Rockstar Games -- on Windows 7 or 8, you won't be able to do so come the aforementioned date. 

Who's using these in 2023? Well, likely many. While there's no data for 2023, as of 2021, over 100 million PCs were still using just Windows 7. This number has presumably come down, but even if it was reduced by half that would still be 50 million on just Windows 7, not even including Windows 8 users. In other words, there's almost definitely many PC users playing GTA Online and other games from Rockstar Games via Windows 7 and Windows 8. If you're one of these people, you have until January 30, 2024. After this you will need to upgrade to continue.

"In light of Microsoft's end of support for Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems, Rockstar Games will no longer officially support these operating systems beginning January 30, 2024," writes Rockstar Support. "To prevent any future interruptions of service and ensure continued access to the latest platform features, we recommend Windows 7 and 8 users upgrade to a supported operating system as soon as possible."

Since this news was shared, many have begun to speculate that PS4 and Xbox One support could be next, and while this could be true, there's nothing here that suggests as much. It's inevtaible PS4 and Xbox One users will eventually be left behind, but with the install base still large on these platforms, it's probably not going to happen anytime soon. 

For more coverage on GTA Online -- including all of the latest news, all of the latest rumors and leaks, and all of the latest speculation -- click here. Meanwhile, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think of this news.