Is GTA 5 & GTA Online cross-platform? Crossplay status explained

GTA 5 and GTA Online have welcomed millions of players on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. With crossplay being a staple feature in other popular multiplayer games, it’s only natural for players to wonder if they can team up with friends across different platforms in the Rockstar Games franchise.

Here’s everything you need to know about GTA Online and GTA 5 crossplay.

Does GTA 5 & GTA Online have crossplay?

GTA Online and GTA 5 do not feature crossplay despite being available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. This means you can’t join friends on other systems.

Can you play with people in the same console family?

Yes, you can play GTA Online with people using systems in the same console family, despite the game not having full cross-platform play capabilities.

That means if you have an Xbox Series X, but your friends own Xbox Ones, you can still jump into lobbies together. The same applies to those who own PS4s and PS5s. However, you’ll need to make sure that you’re playing the same version of the game.

Can you play on PC with friends using different launchers?

Yes, if you are on PC, you can seamlessly play GTA Online with other PC players, regardless of the launcher they own GTA 5 on.

Despite the game being available on various PC launches such as Steam, Epic Games, and even Rockstar’s launcher, the crossplay functionality allows you to connect and play together across all launchers.

Why doesn’t GTA 5 have crossplay?

When Rockstar’s GTA 5 and its online mode first launched in 2013, crossplay was a mere fantasy for gamers. This was nearing the end of the Xbox 360 and PS3’s lifecycles and various agreements between Xbox and PlayStation prevented crossplay from being a reality.

GTA 5 then launched on the Xbox One and PS4 in 2014, and the PC edition came a year later in 2015. This was still before crossplay became something gamers expected from new releases.

Cut to 2018, and Fortnite set the bar for crossplay across games. For the first time, PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and even Nintendo Switch, and mobile had this functionality. This has now become the standard for multiplayer games, but GTA Online has yet to make the jump.

Never mind the coding required, a significant amount of balance tweaks need to be made for a game to fairly become cross-platform. If you’re on PC, you can take advantage of higher graphics and framerates. Consoles give you access to aim assist, and these all need to be considered to make a fair playing field.

A lot of work would likely need to go into making GTA Online cross-play, and this doesn’t coincide with developers’ current plans for the game.

Will GTA 5 & GTA Online ever get crossplay?

While some Grand Theft Auto fans hoped the release of the Expanded & Enhanced Remaster of GTA 5 would bring crossplay, this was not the case.

Rockstar are now focused on GTA 6, which makes it unlikely that crossplay will be added to GTA Online in the future.

Has GTA 6 crossplay been announced?

At the time of writing, there are no hints about the introduction of the crossplay feature in GTA 6.

On December 2023 Rockstar released the first trailer for GTA 6, providing fans with a brief introduction to Jason and Lucia. As new information is revealed, we’ll let you know if Rockstar finally introduce the cross-platform feature in their upcoming title.

Don’t forget to discover quests where you can get special vehicles, such as the Mobile Operations Center, the Fast & Furious cars, and the Nightshark.