GTA 6 Fans Nervous As GTA Online Locks Crucial Quality of Life Feature Behind GTA+ Sub on PS5, PS4 1
Image: Push Square

Not content with selling many millions of copies, Rockstar is looking to wring every last drop of income out of the decade-old GTA 5 and its popular multiplayer mode GTA Online. A new feature, added to the game today as part of the Bottom Dollar Bounties update, locks some crucial quality of life features behind the release’s monthly GTA+ subscription. The decision has already left some fans nervous about what it could mean for GTA 6 and its multiplayer mode.

For those of you who don’t know, GTA Online allows you to own multiple businesses in Los Santos. Each of these outlets enables you to add another wrinkle to your criminal empire, whether it’s a shady Nightclub front that doubles as a dodgy import/export business – or the newly added Bail Offices, which let you launch bounty hunting missions. In addition to new cutscenes and content, many of these businesses include passive income.

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The downside is that in order to collect your passive income, you need to manually visit each location and physically collect the cash from your property’s safe. While the money can add up over time, the hoops you need to jump through get tedious. However, a new update adds an oft-requested feature to your in-game smartphone: the ability to claim business earnings wherever you are at any time. The downside? You need to be a GTA+ member to use it.

GTA 6 Fans Nervous As GTA Online Locks Crucial Quality of Life Feature Behind GTA+ Sub on PS5, PS4 2
Image: Push Square

That’s right, this essential quality of life upgrade is locked behind Rockstar’s monthly membership, which costs $7.99/£6.99 per month. You do get other perks with the subscription, like access to legacy Rockstar games, a monthly deposit of GTA$500,000, discounts to Shark Cards, and the ability to drive a rotating selection of premium cars. You can even call these rented vehicles to your location now, making accessing your rewards easier.

But this addition will make fans nervous about exactly how GTA+ will be integrated into GTA 6’s multiplayer mode. Rockstar said when it introduced the subscription it’d never lock gameplay features behind a paywall, and yet here we are. While you can still play and enjoy the entirety of GTA Online without the paid membership, we’d argue this update edges the game closer to MMO status. We wonder how far the developer’s willing to go.