Grand Theft Auto 5 turns 10 years old next year. Initially released for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013, GTA 5 and its MMO mode Grand Theft Auto Online has been going strong across three generations of consoles and shows no signs of slowing down. Only the eventual release of Grand Theft Auto 6 might pose a threat, and that still seems to be a long way off.
However, the transition to a new console isn’t always a simple thing, and a few bugs are likely to happen. Unfortunately, some Grand Theft Auto Online players found that out the hard way, with the recent PS5 and Series X updates reportedly causing various performance issues. Now, it appears that the next-gen versions of GTA Online are automatically banning players who switch to Multiplayer from Story mode.
While players can log into GTA Online directly, players can jump freely between GTA 5’s Story Mode and the Online component. Or rather, they are supposed to be able to, with Rockstar automatically and permanently banning them when they jump back into GTA Online. The ban applies to their entire Rockstar Social Club accounts, locking players out of Red Dead Online as well.
It’s unclear exactly why these bans are happening, but it doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident. Multiple players have taken to Twitter to complain about the problem. All of whom insist they weren’t cheating or otherwise violating GTA Online’s terms of service in any way. Rockstar has yet to comment on the problem or offer an explanation officially. Presumably, something about switching to Online from Story Mode causes the game to think players are cheating. This sounds like a bug in Grand Theft Auto Online’s anti-cheating system, though that is not confirmed.
Fortunately, the studio is reversing the bans, according to Twitter user InfinityHimself. However, it’s not clear whether Rockstar has resolved the problem or is still working on a permanent solution. Either way, it is sure to be a significant annoyance for players. As one Twitter user pointed out, many of them re-purchased the game to play Grand Theft Auto 5 on the latest console.
Grand Theft Auto 5’s PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X update was supposed to improve the game’s performance and get the best out of next-gen hardware. Unfortunately, it’s seen a rocky rollout since the patch launched last week, with fans reporting long load times on both consoles and poor graphical performance on the Series X. This is in addition to numerous bugs, of which the GTA Online bans seem to be the latest.
Grand Theft Auto Online is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Dexerto
