Rockstar Games has announced that it’s shutting down GTA Online for the PS3 and Xbox 360. These aren’t even last-gen consoles anymore, they’re retro devices. This will mark a serious turning point for the online element of GTA 5, something that some people have been playing for years. The service will shut down entirely on December 16, 2021, bringing an end to everything on that version of the game. While there’s nothing shockingly different in the game on these devices, it does mean that those who haven’t upgraded their console since then are suddenly going to have to do so if they want to play their favourite online game.
GTA Online launched a couple of months after GTA 5. The main game dropped on consoles and then this online element came along to change the world for the better. It was the first open-world MMO on console that really worked. Players who enjoyed GTA 5 loved the opportunity to take the game to the next level in a brand new open online world. It basically extended GTA 5 into an infinite game, and that’s something that’s still true today. There’s so much content for it out there that you can’t ever really get to the end of it. At least, you can’t get to the end of every path that’s available to you.
I remember GTA Online releasing, and being overwhelmed with the amount of content on offer. It’s still something that I shy away from if I’m honest. I don’t like how big the game is and how much time it requires of me right off the bat. Despite the fact that I’ve played years in Destiny 2, it seems like it’s too much. However, I do appreciate what GTA Online does. It creates a place for the GTA community to come together and enjoy the best Rockstar Games has to offer for the series.
My hope is that once the servers are down for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, we finally get GTA 6 and GTA Online 2. I think I’m ready to jump into the sequel, but this first iteration of GTA Online is too deep set for me to even touch now. It’s a beast that I’ll always admire and remember, but one I never want to get into.