Grand Theft Auto 5 turns 10 next year. Originally released for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013, GTA 5 and its Grand Theft Auto Online mode has been strong across three console generations and shows no signs of fading. Only the eventual release of Grand Theft Auto 6 could pose a threat, but that’s a long way off.
However, switching to a new console isn’t always an easy thing to do, and a few bugs are likely to occur. Unfortunately, some Grand Theft Auto Online players have come across this the hard way, with recent PS5 and Series X updates reportedly causing various performance issues. Now, new generation versions of GTA Online will automatically ban players who switch to multiplayer from story mode.
While players can log into GTA Online directly, players can also freely switch between GTA 5’s story mode and the online component. Or rather, it is assumed that they can do this since Rockstar will automatically and permanently ban them when they return to GTA Online. The ban applies to all of their Rockstar Social Club accounts, banning players from Red Dead Online as well.
I can confirm. Just tried to enter online story mode on PS5 and my Social Club got banned. Never used hacks, exploits, or anything like that on my account, just put many hours into it.
It is not clear why exactly these bans occur, but this is not an isolated case. Several players complained about a similar issue. They all insist that they have not cheated or violated GTA Online’s terms of service in any way. Rockstar has yet to comment on the issue or offer an official explanation. Presumably, something to do with switching to Online mode from the story mode makes the game think that the players are cheating. This seems to be a bug in the Grand Theft Auto Online anti-cheat system.
Fortunately, the studio is canceling the bans. However, it’s unclear if Rockstar has resolved the issue or is still working on a permanent solution. In any case, this will surely be a significant annoyance for the players.
The Grand Theft Auto 5 update for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X was meant to improve game performance and get the most out of next-gen hardware. Unfortunately, since the patch’s launch last week, its rollout hasn’t been easy, with fans reporting long load times on both consoles and poor graphical performance on Series X. This is in addition to numerous bugs, of which bans in GTA Online are the latest.