Do you need PS Plus to play GTA Online?

There are various games on PlayStation that you can have access to without an active PS Plus subscription. Most free-to-play titles like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends are in this group of titles that you can access without a monthly or annual subscription. However, what about another mega-popular game, Grand Theft Auto V? Do you need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play GTA Online?

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Can you play GTA Online with PS Plus?

You are required to have an active PS Plus subscription if you want to play Grand Theft Auto Online on a PlayStation. While some popular games allow you to skip the subscription, that is not the case here. In those situations, all of those titles are free-to-play; with GTA Online, you have to purchase it. Whether you are playing the old version on PlayStation 4 or the online-only one on PlayStation 5, you need to own the game and have the PS Plus to get into it.

When GTA Online spun off from GTA V on the next-gen console, we had hoped there was potential for the game to go free-to-play and let anyone with an internet connection play, but that did not happen. Even though the game has a monetization set-up with its various in-game currencies you can buy, Rockstar and Sony want you to pay to access the game. The situation is the same on Xbox.

Hopefully, whenever Grand Theft Auto VI comes out, there will be an online mode that will be able to be accessed without an active PS Plus subscription. At this point, nearly a decade into the life of GTA V, it isn’t very likely that it will ever happen here.