Does GTA Online need a strong anti-cheat system?

In 2021, it is absolutely no wonder that GTA Online has become the industry juggernaut that it has, as Rockstar Games continues to build on an already strong base. In 2013, many had expected Online to take off and be a moderately successful side-experiment from the publisher.

But post-2015, GTA Online saw a massive uptick in terms of the playerbase and popularity. Much of it is attributed to the heists update, which brought the much-beloved game mechanic from the story mode to Online in a co-op PvE environment. Fans flocked to GTA Online in droves, but what really gave it a push was its release on PC.

For nearly two years, PC players had been robbed of GTA 5 on their beloved master race platform, but all of that changed in 2015. The modding community got its hands on the game, and after much anticipation, high-quality, ingenious mods became popular for the open-world title.

Until the modding nation attacked

Yet, another three-headed monster began to rumble underneath and slowly rose and began to plague the GTA Online scene. Modders soon took control of the game's systems and gave themselves unfair advantages, such as god mode and unlimited cash.

In 2021, more than griefers or orbital cannon spammers, another huge problem is causing players to quit the game: modders. It is an issue that is very much a product of any PC game, but is it an oversight on Rockstar's part not to have a robust anti-cheat system?

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Does GTA Online need a strong anti-cheat system?

It has become a norm for almost every online multiplayer game on PC to have a robust anti-cheat system, as the platform is still very much the wild west of gaming. It is then no surprise that some of the biggest online multiplayer games on the platform, such as Valorant or DOTA, or even Overwatch, have strong anti-cheat systems in place.

This is done to not only ensure that gamers have a much better time but also to retain them for longer. Many past games have seen a sharp decline in popularity and players due to cheaters, modders, and hackers.

While GTA Online certainly isn't in the category of competitive games such as the ones mentioned above, it is still very much a title that requires a certain level of competency. So, when players are robbed of a joyful, casual experience in the free mode lobby, the game starts to become a lot less appealing.

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Claims of privacy breach

Many popular GTA speedrunners and streamers have banded together to spread the word around the dangers of modder-presence in-game. Many have claimed that their personal information (Rockstar ID) has been compromised by modders, which is a serious concern for Rockstar.

DarkViperAU, a popular GTA speedrunner and streamer, once had his session invaded online, which caused him much progress in one of his runs. What was worse and puzzling was that he wasn't even playing Online, but in fact, he was in story mode.

Rockstar seems to have noticed this issue and has begun a hiring process to reportedly work on an anti-cheat system in both Red Dead and GTA Online. If the organization does decide to evolve Online past the casual stage and into a more competitive realm, then an anti-cheat system will become essential.

Regardless, an anti-cheat system is the need of the hour for GTA Online on PC. It is astounding that it doesn't have one yet, since the game is almost six years old on the platform.