Top 5 reasons GTA 5 and GTA Online have stayed popular in 2021

Despite being almost 7 years old, GTA 5 and GTA Online are still among the most talked about games in 2021. In May, GTA 5 had about 146,000 active players on Steam alone.

GTA Online has one of the most active player bases of any online video game, and it receives regular updates to keep them entertained. While the GTA franchise has always been at the forefront of the video game industry, Rockstar has reached an all-time high since 2020.

Most of this success can be attributed to GTA Online, which expanded faster than any other GTA game and generated insane revenue. This article will list a few reasons which explain this continuing popularity for both GTA 5 and GTA Online.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of its writer.

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5 ways in which GTA 5 and GTA Online have maintained their popularity in 2021

5) Regular updates

Without Rockstar's frequent updates, GTA Online would not have been as active as it is today. With each major update, not only do they provide new content, but they also balance game mechanics accordingly.

This may appear to be a basic and vital component of online games. However, fans should note that Rockstar never expected GTA Online to explode in popularity as much as it did.

This has prompted them to consider the game from a new angle and devote significant time and effort on polishing it.

4) Promise of new content

The updates in GTA Online are something most players look up to, because there's always something drastically different in each one. Apart from the usual customization options and new cars, there's always something unique to expect from them.

Some updates bring entirely new ways of making money in the game, while others bring new game modes. The Cayo Perico Heist update included an entirely new map expansion, even though it wasn't accessible in freeroam.

3) Epic Store offer of 2020

With the worldwide lockdown in 2020, a lot of people who had nothing to do at home turned to gaming. As a result, the video game industry witnessed a significant increase in potential gamers, as well as an increase in PC and console sales.

During this time, the GTA 5 Premium Edition was available for free on the Epic Games Store for a limited time. This boosted the number of active players in GTA Online, which previously peaked at over 220k in February 2020.

Even in 2021, GTA Online has sustained a sufficient number of players on the platform to be profitable for Rockstar.

2) Porting to new consoles

GTA 5 was released in 2013 for the PS3 and Xbox 360, then a year later for the PS4 and Xbox One. The PC version was released another year later, in April 2015.

Rockstar has announced that an "Expanded and Enhanced" edition will be released in November for next-generation platforms (the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S). This will mean that GTA 5 will span three console generations.

This has secured a continual stream of new players as well as a consistent source of revenue through GTA Online.

1) GTA 5 RP

GTA 5 RP is the most recent phenomenon in the streaming world. These are isolated online servers designed specifically for serious roleplaying. Because of GTA 5 RP streams, GTA 5 became the most popular game on Twitch in 2021.

This trend spread, as servers based on other languages began to spring up around the globe. NoPixel, the most popular English-speaking server, saw plenty of new streamers rise to prominence through GTA 5 RP.