The world of Grand Theft Auto Online has been changed dramatically, as Rockstar is banning cheaters and resetting the accounts of players who exploited a glitch in its popular online sandbox. This glitch allowed players to obtain a large amount of money with next to no work. Cheating in GTA Online is by no means a new problem, and it's one that Rockstar doesn't always seem inclined to take action on.
Glitches and bugs have also plagued Grand Theft Auto Online for a long time. Many glitches that players have discovered over the years have mostly just led to goofy videos and stunts that don't affect the game in any major way. For instance, players previously found a bug in GTA Online that causes an in-game swing to propel the player's car into the stratosphere. However, there are other glitches though that have caused some major issues for the balance in the online game. This means that Rockstar has not only had to worry about players hacking or modding their game to cheat online, but players exploiting bugs present in the game in different ways. Some of the most common glitches in GTA Online involve making money fast, whether they're bugs that players accidentally stumble upon or actively work to exploit.
According to Polygon, one particularly powerful recent bug in Grand Theft Auto Online was referred to as the Apartment Garage Glitch and was widely known on the internet. Players were able to purchase certain properties and then mess around with GTA Online's menus in order to force the game to reward them with millions of dollars. This worked out extremely well for those players for quite a while, up until a few days ago. Many players have recently logged on to GTA Online after using the glitch only to find out that their accounts were completely reset without warning
Rockstar explained that these account resets were necessary to keep the game feeling fair for everyone involved. The company went on to say that it is perfectly willing to suspend or ban players in the future for exploiting glitches and cheats in the game if they must. Many of the players who have been affected by this have taken to social media in order to proclaim how unfair Rockstar's actions are. Some of these players say that Rockstar reacted too harshly, considering that GTA Online's developer was the one that left this exploit in the game in the first place. Others argued that that are much bigger issues present in the game that Rockstar still hasn't addressed, which has been a common refrain for critics of GTA Online for much of its lifetime.
At the end of the day, Grand Theft Auto Online is Rockstar's game, and it's up to the developer to decide what actions are justified to keep it balanced. Some players may think that these actions were too harsh, but a lot of players also think that those who exploited the game got what they deserved. Only time will tell if this signals a new policy on Rockstar for how to respond to cheaters in GTA Online.
Grand Theft Auto Online can be played on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Source: Polygon