Will GTA 5 have been just as successful had it not been for GTA Online?

GTA 5, first released in 2013, has been around for eight years now. However, gamers continue to purchase the game, primarily for the multiplayer features of GTA Online.

GTA 5 has gone down in history as the second-most popular video game of all time. It is also the most popular product made by Rockstar Games. However, GTA Online has kept most players engaged to the title for almost a decade.

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GTA 5's popularity and GTA Online's role in it

While GTA 5 is a massively successful game in its own right, much of its success must be attributed to GTA Online. Rockstar decided to go through with this multiplayer component even when it was turning out to be a failure.

This decision paid off handsomely, as the microtransactions in GTA Online bring them an insane amount of revenue every year. This has been ongoing for more than half a decade, ever since GTA Online became popular.

The regular content updates for the game are primarily responsible for this popularity, as gamers can always look forward to something with every update. This keeps bringing them back to the game, even after some of them grow bored of it.

The Los Santos Tuners is a prime example of this, as it broke a new record for GTA and Rockstar. When the update was released on July 20, 2021, GTA Online recorded the highest amount of active players on an update launch day.

While the single-player game is often praised by players and reviewers alike, it is not why GTA 5 turned out so popular. Many fans often state that its story is nowhere near as good as GTA 4. Some even say that the gameplay features make it less enjoyable than GTA San Andreas.

Yet, its massively multiplayer feature draws in millions of people from around the world. The fact that a player can run their own criminal empire with a custom-made character is the appealing factor for many. The massive amount of vehicles in GTA Online is also a significant reason for its popularity.

The title has far more vehicles than any other from the GTA series. Los Santos Tuners also proved to be hugely successful because of its vehicle-based content. GTA Online also offers bizarre and futuristic vehicles for players to fulfill all their sci-fi wonders.

Taking everything into account, it's safe to assume that GTA Online is the driving force behind GTA 5's success. The latter would not be where it is today if not for the former.

Note: This article reflects the writer's views.