The gameplay takes place in the southern part of San Andreas in the USA and on the island of Cayo Perico on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. In the 2013 version of the game, the story tells of events that happened two months before the events of Grand Theft Auto V. The story in more recent updates, released since 2017, covers a later time period.
Introduction and Tutorial
When the user first enters GTA Online, they go through the character creation stage – you can change their appearance and basic characteristics. Then the game starts with the created character arriving at Los Santos International Airport on a commercial flight. When leaving the airport, the player is greeted by Lamar.
Davis, who takes him to the city.
Lamar serves as a guide in the initial tutorial part of the game, introducing the user to the basic mechanics of the online world. After completing street races and participating in a short mission (a drug deal gone wrong), Lamar introduces the character to Gerald – the first boss in GTA Online. At this stage, the player is given access to the entire map of San Andreas, and the guide instructs them to buy new clothes and then open a store.
After completing these tasks, the character is contacted by Simeon Yetarian, who helps steal a car. A tracker is installed on it, and insurance is purchased at Los Santos Customs – it’s free. After completing these mandatory actions, the player is introduced to another mission, after which the tutorial ends and the user is given the opportunity to freely explore the online map.
Gameplay
Performing almost any action in GTA Online earns the player money, which is used for in-game purchases, and reputation points (RP). As players earn RP and increase their rank, new items such as weapons, hairstyles, clothing, and vehicle modifications become available for purchase, and new missions become available. However, some missions may not earn RP if they are completed solo, especially sports events in GTA Online. High-ranking missions offer much larger cash rewards and RP than easy missions. When a player dies for the first time in GTA Online,
Chris Formage appears in a vision, telling the hero that he is resurrecting them.
Missions can be accessed from the open world – you need to enter a blue circular marker to activate the corresponding mission, or select it from the pause menu. Quests have a certain number of available spots, sometimes with the option to play solo. Players can either create their own missions or join missions already in progress. The user can also receive job invitations from characters or other players. These invitations close in real time if the participants join and the maximum quota is reached.
Before almost any mission, players can place bets on themselves or other players to earn larger payouts for their work. At the end of each mission, after earning points or money for completion, the hero can continue playing with the same participants, and they are given the opportunity to vote on which mission will be completed next with this team. They can also choose a random mission or return to free mode, leaving the current team.
Although some actions from GTA V are available in GTA Online, such as buying clothes and participating in sports, there are many differences in gameplay mechanics. For example, the police will never attempt to arrest the player, but they will shoot to kill even at a one-star wanted level. The wanted level changes depending on the players’ actions: a three-star level is automatically set for killing a police officer, or a four-star level for invading Fort Zancudo.
Many characters from GTA V reappear in GTA Online as mission bosses. Several bosses are unique to GTA Online, such as Gerald, although he was first mentioned in GTA V. Chronologically, the story of GTA Online initially took place before the events of GTA V. For example, Martin Madrazo can often be found in his house in Vinewood Hills, which was destroyed by Michael at the beginning of GTA V, while Trevor, apart from the events of the Series A heist, is still based exclusively in Sandy Shores. This timeline was changed in the expanded releases, which included dialogues and story elements confirming that the events take place in the present day.
If it is noticed that a player is causing excessive negative effects in the online world, they will accumulate Bad Sport points. When a sufficient number of these points are accumulated within a short period of time, the user is moved to a separate pool, which prevents them from playing with participants who have not exhibited negative behavior. A player with a high number of Bad Sport points is also forced to wear a hat, which is removed in vehicles or REPLACED with a motorcycle helmet. Bad Sport points are accumulated when personal vehicles belonging to other players are destroyed, when the player leaves a mission early, or when they send false reports and task messages.
Characters
In GTA Online, players create their own personalized characters using a special tool. Unlike many other games, the appearance is determined not by the user, but by choosing parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents for the character. The Collector’s Edition of the game includes several bonus characters from other Rockstar applications – they appear as possible parents.
After confirming the appearance, the player can only change it for 100,000 GTA$ (only in the enhanced edition). But characters can be further modified in the game by buying clothes, tattoos, hairstyles, and masks from stores throughout Los Santos. These items can be changed or removed as many times as the player wishes.
Resources and Items
Money and RP are the basis of the GTA Online economy. Players can purchase almost any item in the game, including apartments, garages, clothing, cars, planes, and more. The selection changes and evolves with regular updates. Money is also needed to open vacancies.
Money is earned through most actions: completing missions, robbing stores, selling cars, killing, etc. Rockstar also offers users the opportunity to make purchases with in-game currency using real money in the form of Shark Cards. By spending their real money, players can buy garages and apartments to store purchased cars. Although players can steal cars, high-end models must be purchased through the website
Legendary Motorsport.
Property is divided into 4 classes – garages, cheap apartments, middle-class housing, and luxury apartments. After the “Light Life” update, players can own two properties, and after the “Festive Surprise” update, they can buy a third property. The Lowriders update introduced a fourth slot, but it is only available in the enhanced version.
Teams
The game features the Rockstar Games Social Club team system with two types. Private crews are mainly intended for groups of friends or like-minded people who can play together online and can accommodate up to 1000 people. Public crews are much larger and can include an unlimited number of members. Rockstar strongly recommends using team play, as the hero earns more money in races and when completing missions. The team system in GTA Online also encourages customization and personalization – the choice of emblems that can be placed on vehicles and the clothing of participants.
Vehicles
In GTA Online, vehicles can do much more. Cars can be locked to prevent theft. The player can also buy car insurance in case the car is stolen during free roam, destroyed, or lost. If the hero has insurance, the car can be destroyed an infinite number of times. High-end models, with a retail value of over $100,000, can be stolen and used in the game, but they cannot be converted into personal vehicles or sold or modified at Los Santos Customs (they must be purchased legally). Guide to leveling up the car club’s reputation in GTA Online.
Bans
If a player receives many complaints or it is discovered that they are using identifiable cheats (such as mod menus), there is a chance that they will be banned in GTA Online. With each ban, the character’s progress is completely reset to level zero – all progress made in the game is deleted. All cars, properties, businesses, and statistics are also reset. All money is canceled, except for real funds, which remain in the user’s account. The first ban is a 30-day ban. The second ban is permanent.
Grand Theft Auto Online has received mixed reviews from critics. Currently, the game has a score of 77/100 on Metacritic based on seven reviews and 76-78/100 on GameRankings based on four reviews. Most critics have praised the game for its potential but criticized it for technical issues.
.
1179
