The recent announcement of the GTA+ service for Grand Theft Auto Online may be Rockstar's most ridiculous move yet. Rockstar was just managing to recover from the troubles that Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition had caused, and this new announcement of a subscription service for GTA Online has stirred a frenzy among the studio's fanbase all over again. If Rockstar moves forward with GTA+, then it will likely be one of the most controversial moves that the studio has made in years.
GTA+ is a planned subscription service for players of GTA Online. For $5.99 a month, GTA+ subscribers on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will receive $500,000 in-game every month, as well a selection of other perks, including free LS Car Meet membership, a free yacht upgrade, and new paints and decals at the auto shop in addition to others. GTA+ subscribers will also receive bonus rewards for certain mission series, much like a recent Red Dead Online event that stirred fan backlash.
There are several things about GTA+ that make it seem like a questionable idea, and many of them are problems that have been seen before in other games. GTA Online has already been accused of being too heavily geared toward microtransactions thanks to its ballooning in-game economy, while Red Dead Online continues to be ignored. Both of these elements - coupled with the lack of info surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6, as well as the release of yet another version of GTA 5 - led to the GTA+ announcement being met with controversy. However, there are also reasons related to GTA Online specifically that make GTA+ the latest in a recent string of misfires for Rockstar.
GTA+ Represents Poor Value For GTA Online Players
Thus far, the announced bonuses that come from subscribing to GTA+ don't sound like they'll be worth the asking price. The biggest reward seems to be the $500,000 per month in in-game cash, but that just helps the recipient buy things without grinding. This alone makes GTA+ look like a pay-to-win situation, but the rest of the rewards don't quite measure up.
Most of the other perks of GTA+ don't feel incredibly special. Unlocking a new auto shop location and items from the next-gen exclusive Hao's Special Works in GTA Online among others don't feel especially impressive considering that the player will be paying extra for the privilege. While some such as the free LS Car Meet membership and yacht upgrade sound quite nice, those were things that were already available, and GTA+ just removed the need to pay for them. There isn't enough content to warrant its price.
At the moment, GTA+ sounds underwhelming. If Rockstar wanted to hype people up for the service, then it needed something big for the announcement. However, what the studio is offering at launch simply isn't enough to make it worthwhile. Even if the rewards were substantial, there would still be other issues with GTA+ that would quickly need addressing.
GTA Online's Microtransactions Are Already Out Of Control
GTA Online's Shark Cards are destroying its economy, and are a perfect example of out-of-control microtransactions. Shark Cards are bought with real money, and they deliver a specific amount of in-game currency to the player's GTA Online character depending on the card. The lowest-tier card, the Red Shark Card, costs $2.99 and gives the player's character $100,000, while the Megalodon Shark Card costs $99.99 in exchange for $8,000,000 in in-game currency. Shark Cards embody the widely-disliked pay-to-win approach present in a number of games, and adding a subscription service on top of that would only bring more issues.
In addition to what was already mentioned, Rockstar has announced a plan to include GTA+ Shark Cards, a version of the cards that are exclusive to GTA+ subscribers. This means that one of the perks of GTA Online's membership program is to pay Rockstar more money. With GTA Online's economy already not being in a good place largely thanks to Shark Cards, this proposal is the opposite of a solution.
Microtransactions are widely unpopular, which makes it absurd that Rockstar seems to be doubling down on them with GTA+. The problem that Shark Cards started will only get worse now that GTA+ has provided players with another way to part ways with their cash. While something needs to be done to solve the money problem in GTA Online, GTA+ will definitely not be the solution.
GTA+ Could Put Non-Subscribers At A Disadvantage In GTA Online
Right now, one of GTA+'s biggest issues is that what it's offering isn't worth the price. However, if the perks were worth the fee, then it would wind up with another problem. If the perks of GTA+ membership were legitimately good, then it would leave subscribers with an unfair advantage over non-subscribers. With GTA Online increasingly becoming less fun to play thanks to the grind-based nature of businesses, some players getting things for free would not be looked fondly upon by others. Things such as exclusive cars or weapons would be extremely useful, but also unbalanced in terms of gameplay and game health.
If GTA+ offered great rewards for subscriptions, then GTA Online players would essentially be separated into tiers. The GTA+ players would be handed the best equipment, giving them several advantages over everyone else on the server. Meanwhile, without access to the exclusive perks of membership, players without GTA+ subscriptions would have to watch subscribers parade around with unique gear that the non-subscribers knew that they would never have. This sort of dynamic could easily breed toxicity and resentment in the game, creating a much less enjoyable environment for players.
While it remains to be seen just how much GTA+ will affect GTA Online's next-gen economy, the fact that players are already expressing anger toward it should be a warning sign. If GTA+ becomes a major example of pay-to-win gameplay, then GTA Online may end up dealing with controversies on the level of Red Dead Online. This was a public relations mess that Rockstar could ill afford, and it threatens to overshadow the studio's Grand Theft Auto 6 announcement.
Early response to the announcement of GTA+ has included quite a few negative reactions from fans, and it's hard to blame them. GTA+ reads like a combination of several disliked mechanics that will not solve anything substantial in the game. No matter what Rockstar's intention was when it introduced GTA+ for Grand Theft Auto Online, its already rocky reception makes it hard to imagine the majority of fans embracing it anytime soon.