As one of the biggest forms of entertainment, awarding Take-Two Interactive a whopping $500 million in 2019 alone, no one is questioning the behemoth that is Grand Theft Auto V and its multiplayer substitute GTA Online. Arriving on the PS5 (and, presumably, on the Series X, as well) with more content and better graphics, it’s pretty clear it’s Rockstar’s main focus going well into the near future. This massive title likewise has a massive following, but maybe it’s not all sunshine and roses - or, at least in San Andreas, exotic car races and multi-million dollar bank heists.
What GTA Online has turned into may shock most fans and worry some of its most dedicated players, as the infestation of hackers goes far deeper than simply modding real-world Pagani supercars and map alterations into the experience. It has now evolved into targeting other players and even leaking sensitive personal information.
When Talent Turns Into Dismay
For many, many years, Take-Two has combated modding and hacking with heavy-handed force. Back in 2017, the Rockstar parent company went so far as to force major modding tools to shut down, like Force Hax, Lexicon, and OpenIV, the latter of which was actually brought back online through some dedicated convincing. Rockstar repeated these prior actions again just last year, this time going after a paid mod called Evolve, which allowed players - among many other things - superpowers and weather manipulation.
As evidenced by these various lawsuits and legal actions, both Rockstar and Take-Two have taken many steps to ensure both modding and hacking stray far away from their game. With their stance on singleplayer modding being far more lenient, one would think Rockstar could take swift action in dealing with hackers in Online. Unfortunately, however, that’s not so much the case.
A Dangerous Open-World
Griefing and grinding both have become among the biggest fixes GTA Online needs. Rockstar made mention of not just modding and hackers, but also the notorious griefers in a statement dating all the way back to 2015 from a community Q&A:
Grand Theft Auto Online’s free breakout on the Epic Games Store literally opened the doors wide to some shady characters, as it has now been flooded with cheaters and hackers of all kinds. Thanks to Epic Games, hackers can now even subvert mods unto any other player’s story mode, showcased best by Furfty on Reddit. While it may not sound all that bad for those who don’t play GTA all that often, the more dangerous of these inescapable hacks can happen to anyone with a Rockstar Social Club account. And what are the makers of GTA doing about it? Absolutely nothing.
“While it’s unrealistic to say we can solve the problem of cheating forever and for everyone, we believe we are making significant progress on this issue and we will continue to work aggressively to stop these griefers in their tracks as best we can.”
Social Account Discrepancies
YouTube and Twitch streamer DarkViperAU divulged in a recent video how modders can do much more than simply instill god-like abilities for themselves, displaying just how godly they can realistically become using the right tools. With aid from a video sent to him from a modder, he details how hackers can utilize Social Club account names and Rockstar IDs to not only ban other players and crash their game but likewise steal personal information.
These modders have powerful abilities, like crashing game lobbies and then subsequently blaming others as the cause, or pooling a particular player in with many others and knowing exactly when and where they log on. These hackers even have a full list of Rockstar staff at their disposal. As DarkViper notes, logging out doesn’t help, as most of this information is stored automatically and can be discovered at a moment’s notice.
Oh, and this has all been going on for seven years straight.
With crafty ways of protecting themselves from their own devices, modders prove that Rockstar is being complicit to these very concerns. Many of those who were banned did get new accounts, thanks to Rockstar, but that doesn’t help the many others who have been affected in far worse ways. As DarkViper points out modders can distinguish everything from your ISP and mobile number to your own real-world longitude and latitude, among many other facets of your personal life.
These discoveries are more than a little concerning, especially given the fact that the game is slated to unveil on next-gen consoles. It might be best not merely to stay away from GTA Online but also any Rockstar game and to potentially even delete your Social Club account if only to protect yourself from these vile hackers.
NEXT: GTA V Was The Wrong Way To Open The PS5 Reveal
