Rockstar Releasing GTA 5 Online Mode Patches For Xbox 360 And PS3

Gamers eager to play the new multiplayer version which went live on Tuesday have been met with frozen loading screens, connection problems and repeated error messages.

Rockstar, the makers of the popular franchise, said the entire team was “working around the clock” to fix the problems as they arise and urged players to remain patient.

A title update for Grand Theft Auto Online is now live on PlayStation 3, with a patch for Xbox 360 slated to launch later today, Rockstar announced in a press statement.

Rockstar says that a PSN server issue was the culprit in PS3 users’ GTA Online woes, as it “was limiting the amount of possible concurrent users,” therefore “preventing most players from accessing GTA Online altogether and as of this morning, that problem was resolved.”

The developer noted that players are having issues completing the introductory tutorial mission on both platforms as well, and that it is “working on unblocking this for everyone as soon as possible,” as well as improving GTA Online server stability. 

GTA Online lets up to 16 players form teams and enter the world of Los Santos to carry out crimes, take part in races, complete missions and play sports.

The company had apologised pre-emptively to fans on the eve of the launch in anticipation of problems following record sales of GTA 5 when it was released last month.

The game made £500 million in its first 24 hours on sale and £1 billion after three days – believed to be the fastest entertainment product to reach the milestone.

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Grand Theft Auto 5 Online Mode Arrives

The update that will enable access to Grand Theft Auto 5 Online is now available for download. Just start up GTA 5, and you should get an automatic prompt to download an update for the game. After that, the “Online” tab within the game will be populated with Grand Theft Auto 5 Online options and information.

Due to “unanticipated additional pressure on the servers due to a significantly higher number of players [than expected]“, Rockstar has warned that play might be “temperamental” for the first few days. “We are working around the clock to buy and add more servers,” said the game’s developers in a blog post.

It’s essentially a massively multiplayer game, like World of Warcraft, but set in a modern city rather than a fantasy kingdom. Each time you play, you enter a server that is currently restricted to 16 players, but the entire universe is interconnected – there’s even a persistent economy and a stock market that changes dynamically based on what players all over the world spend their in-game cash on.

Passive mode, rumours of which have leaked from the game’s closed beta apparently allows you to switch off all interaction with other players so that you can just drive around and go shopping without worrying about getting shot.

In preparation for online play Rockstar has also outlined a slew of rules and recommendations to deal with the troubles of multiplayer, whilst also letting players known that the online portion of the game occurs “a few months prior to the events of Grand Theft Auto 5 single player story.”

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