Is GTA 5 crossplay? Do GTA 5 and GTA Online allow for cross-platform gameplay between PlayStation, Xbox and PC?
This is a question that is often asked by the GTA community. In this article, we answer this question for every platform, and we’ll also discuss the potential of GTA Online crossplay in the future.
Is GTA 5 Crossplay? The Definitive Answer
GTA Online has been Rockstar’s most popular game by far, with the numbers still peaking. One of the main reasons for this is GTA Online’s roleplaying community. The rise of RP servers introduced a whole new way of playing the game, with many new communities created because of it.
Cross-platform between PlayStation, Xbox and PC would bring players from different platforms together seamlessly, into an even bigger online community.
True; so, is GTA cross platform? The answer to "Can you crossplay in GTA 5?" is simple and unfortunate:
No, GTA 5 crossplay is not available. Rockstar has not introduced a crossplay mechanic like the ones seen in popular multiplayer games such as CoD: Warzone, Fortnite, Minecraft, etc.
Does this mean that GTA Online crossplay situation will stay like that forever? Let’s see what we can tell you about it.
Is GTA Crossplay possible between PS4 and PS5?
Even though GTA 5 does not have crossplay across different family platforms - yes, it's possible to crossplay between PS4 and PS5 with the backward-compatible version of GTA 5 for PS5.
This is because, with the backward-compatible version, you're essentially playing the PS4 edition of GTA 5 on your PS5. So in this case, you're playing the same version of the game and you can indeed crossplay with PS4 players.
The same goes for GTA Crossplay between Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. So GTA Online is cross-platform in this sense, although it does not have "real" crossplay.
However, it's not possible to crossplay between PS4/Xbox One and the dedicated Enhanced & Expanded for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S released in March 2022.
Is GTA Cross Platform Feature in the Making?
When the PS4 and Xbox One versions dropped, Rockstar allowed the players a one-time update of their game data through the Rockstar Social Club. Players could transfer their character data from old to newer consoles, or even PCs.
It was a one-time thing, though, and some even started exploiting this transfer option, which is why it was eventually suspended.
GTA Online coming out as a standalone game has increased the interest of players in the possibility of this multiplayer giant actually becoming cross-platform. Now, the release of GTA Online as a standalone version might make crossplay easier to implement.
When it dropped, it came with all the updates that GTA Online has had so far. Yet, updates alone are not necessarily everything we could expect from it, especially with the trend of cross-platform play taking over more and more titles. Focusing on GTA Online independently from GTA 5 will certainly allow developers lots of freedom to experiment with new options and mechanics.
The question now becomes - would GTA’s servers be able to handle those huge numbers of players all at once?
Apart from that, there’s been some discussion online regarding the issue of mouse and keyboard users going against controllers; whether that would be fair or not. The main cited reason is that mouse and keyboard users have an advantage due to higher accuracy, while others claim that aim assists on controllers might be an unfair advantage.
This issue might be important in games like CoD: Warzone, where near-pinpoint accuracy is highly demanded, but would it also cause a divide in GTA Online’s community?
GTA 5 and GTA Online Crossplay News
A next-gen port of GTA 5 and Online for both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S, was launched in March 2022.
However, there hasn't been any specific news regarding crossplay implementation into GTA Online. In the past, next-gen remasters from Rockstar haven’t been just simple ports of the same old game.
Their goal to bring innovative changes to next-gen is what gives us an impression that we could be expecting things like GTA Online crossplay - albeit we need to be realistic and say that there’s no evidence that this feature will indeed be implemented in the future.
GTA Online Cross Platform: FAQ
Is GTA 5 Crossplay on PC, PlayStation or Xbox?
No, GTA Online doesn’t have crossplay between Xbox, PC, and PlayStation.
Unfortunately, users on different platforms - such as PC, Xbox, and PS - cannot link up to play together, as GTA Online cross platform isn’t available.
So, the answer to “Is GTA 5 cross platform?” is a no.
A large part of the fun is playing with friends - however, with GTA Online, it remains restricted to same-platform mates.
As much as we’d like to see it, GTA 5 crossplay is not available nor on the horizon. It’s one of the most-requested Rockstar changes, though, and we will keep you updated if the status changes!
Is GTA 5 Cross Platform Backwards Compatible?
Yes, GTA Online allows cross platform with the backward compatibility versions of the game.
So in this particular case, you can crossplay between PS5 and PS4, as well as between Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Will GTA 6 have Crossplay?
Whether GTA 6 will be crossplay remains to be seen - but its Online version is more likely to be crossplay than the GTA 5 edition.
If there’s any info on GTA 6 crossplay leaked, you can rest assured that you will find it in our GTA 6 overview section!