GTA 6: 5 things Rockstar Games must fix about GTA Online

GTA Online seems to be the gift that keeps on giving as it has been one of the most financially successful projects for Rockstar Games. Since it comes bundled with a copy of GTA 5, the game is accessible to a large audience, at least before it becomes a standalone title on the PS5.

GTA Online is a fantastic piece of work as Rockstar Games were able to fully realize the potential of the game outside of the Freemode aspect. They have been able to continuously build on the game experience post-launch, which ideally should be the goal for any long-running game such as GTA Online.

However, the game is not without its faults as GTA Online has, in the past, given way for criticism against Rockstar Games. Here are some issues that the company must address when GTA Online is revamped for the next Grand Theft Auto title.

5 things Rockstar Games must fix about GTA Online for the next release in the franchise

1) Massive load times

The GTA Online experience is extremely rewarding and expansive once players are into the game. However, getting into the game is one of the biggest hurdles in the way of the player.

The load times for GTA V on consoles is one that will be totally unacceptable on the next-gen consoles. With the presence of fast SSDs, it is expected to bring down the massive load times by a good margin.

As it stands, getting into a match in GTA Online can take an awful lot of time and detracts from the game experience in a big way.

2) Matchmaking

An online game lives and dies by its ability to move players from one match to the next. Essentially, a player should be able to drop into a match and then switch over to another in a matter of seconds.

However, in GTA Online, the time between matches can get pretty frustrating. If the player is playing by themselves, spending countless hours in the lobby isn't a very appealing prospect.

Matchmaking can take up upwards of a minute, which is a cause for concern as players might end up quitting the game as a result.

3) Choppy performance on console

GTA Online looks pretty much the same as Grand Theft Auto V's Story Mode but given the detail and assets in any given game online, the performance is sure to take a hit.

However, the difference between the performance of the game on PC and Console is absolutely jarring. One would expect that the game would run quite smoothly on consoles, since the game is optimized for the hardware.

But alas, the game ends up becoming extremely choppy with frequent drops in frame-rate as well as texture pop-ins and massive lag. This essentially makes GTA Online a less-than-optimal gaming experience and one that frustrates players to no end.

4) Shark Cards

While it is understandable that the game doesn't cost extra after the purchase of GTA V, it still doesn't make sense to include microtransactions in a product that already costs $60.

The game almost turns into a "pay-to-win" situation, with players being able to purchase high-tier weapons as well as vehicles and pick on lower-ranked opponents. This opens the door for griefers to ruin the game experience for everyone, thereby making GTA Online a terrible place for beginners.

With GTA Online becoming a standalone title on the PS5, fans can only expect Rockstar to do away with Shark Cards altogether.

5) Oppressor MKII

The Oppressor MKII is a fantastic vehicle in theory, and (we cannot stress this enough) it is also a complete abomination. The vehicle has essentially been the bane of the player's existence in GTA Online as being repeatedly bombarded with a missile from a flying motorbike cannot be fun.

This isn't necessarily a problem with the game per se but the vehicle needs to be nerfed in some sort of way.

There is little to no defense against the Oppressor if you're on the ground, lest you have a decent enough shot to pop one off from miles away.