Roleplaying in GTA Online is one of the biggest sensations in gaming right now, so much so that the client it runs on, FiveM, has actually topped the official Grand Theft Auto V on Steam. GTA's RP servers run on a separate client than the main game, as it's a mod. Although it still requires players to own Rockstar Games' title to play, it has spawned a life of its own totally separate from the 2013 commercial hit.
GTA RP has grown so large that even some of the most mainstream celebrities have been playing it. The likes of Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and more stars all publicly play the game, showing the incredible reach of the modded version of Rockstar's open-world crime game. FiveM isn't exclusively GTA RP, but it is a massive component of it that has dominated Twitch streams and YouTube videos from some of the most popular gaming content creators. FiveM players can also access a variety of custom games that go beyond what's possible in Rockstar's own map editor, allowing players to craft scenarios suited to specific their servers' themes and objectives.
FiveM has seemingly become the preferred way of playing Grand Theft Auto 5 on PC, as it has surpassed Rockstar's official version of the game on Steam. Although some Twitch streamers are moving away from GTA RP due to its immense popularity making it somewhat difficult to play, it hasn't stopped others from flocking to it. Astoundingly, FiveM surpassed 250,000 concurrent players on April 25 (thanks, Full Throttle Media). By comparison, GTA 5 had just under 80k concurrent players on Steam at the same time. Rockstar nor parent company Take-Two Interactive have had much to say regarding the popular modding hub, but it's getting increasingly difficult to ignore.
Of course, GTA 5 is coming to new consoles later this year, is featured on other PC platforms, and is still going strong on Xbox One and PS4. It's by no means going away or petering out, especially after GTA 5 had a record-setting year in 2020. It seems likely that FiveM will keep its momentum, as it has only grown with time and some GTA RP servers, such as NoPixel, are so popular that they require users to pay to even apply for a chance to play.
It's great to see fans take what Rockstar has created and turn it into something much larger. The amount of creativity and the depth that has been poured into things like GTA RP is fantastic and will likely help boost sales of Grand Theft Auto V even more on PC. Even though it seems unlikely that GTA Online in its current state could be reworked to be more immersive, perhaps there's a chance Grand Theft Auto VI will have a heavier focus on roleplaying elements.
Grand Theft Auto V is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: FiveM (via Full Throttle Media)