One Of GTA Online's Most Requested Features Finally Arrives, Is Locked Behind Paywall (2024)

By Eddie Makuch on June 27, 2024 at 8:16AM PDT

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A new update for GTA Online this week introduced a quality-of-life feature that fans have been requesting for years, but it's locked behind a paywall and some are worried about what this might mean for 2025's Grand Theft Auto VI.

The Bottom Dollar Bounties update introduced a Vinewood Club App--exclusive to GTA+ subscribers--that players can access on the home screen of their in-game phone. The app allows players to buy ammo and cars and collect cash without needing to run around Los Santos. It's a welcome feature that people have wanted for years, but some are disappointed that it's only available for GTA+ subscribers.

Beyond that disappointment, people on Reddit and other parts of the internet are wondering if Rockstar Games is doing this as a test of sorts prior to Grand Theft Auto VI's release next year (via GamesRadar). From Rockstar and parent company Take-Two's perspective, GTA+ is another revenue stream beyond the initial game sale and standard microtransactions to become a third prong for making money. The thinking from fans goes that if putting features behind a paywall like GTA+ leads to more sign-ups to the service, then Rockstar/Take-Two might be encouraged to expand even more in this area.

In addition to the new Vinewood Clup App, GTA+ subscribers get an infusion of $500,000 worth of in-game cash for GTA Online every month, along with member-only Shark Cards that include 15% extra GTA$. Members also receive extra GTA$ multipliers for some GTA Online missions and modes, along with regular discounts on in-game vehicles, upgrades, properties, and more.

Beyond the GTA Online perks, a number of Rockstar Games titles are included with GTA+. Right now, the library of free games for subscribers includes L.A. Noire, Red Dead Redemption, GTA The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, GTA Chinatown Wars, and GTA Liberty City Stories. Rockstar's action game Bully will join the GTA+ catalog later this year.

Earlier this year, Rockstar Games raised the price of GTA+, pushing membership fees from $6/month to $8/month, or an increase of 33%. There is no multi-month or yearly membership option for GTA+.

Given the enormous success of GTA Online, many are wondering what kind of multiplayer mode Rockstar Games might offer in GTA VI. Also unknown is how GTA+ might factor in to the next GTA game. Hopes are high in general for GTA VI, as some believe it's the most important video game release in history.

GTA VI is set for release in Fall 2025, but it would be surprising if it doesn't slip, given nearly all of Rockstar's releases in the past decade have been delayed beyond their original target dates.

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