Nicholas Becher is a video games journalist with an MFA in creative writing from FAU. With extensive experience in video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. The most played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond.
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With Grand Theft Auto 6 in just a few months, players are preparing to live an epic new experience with the best solution offered by dive into GTA Online. Given that the next major installment in the franchise will usher in a new era for GTA Onlineit is widely expected that Rockstar’s upcoming online experience will eventually become the franchise’s primary multiplayer destination.
Although Take-Two has stated its intention to continue supporting the current version of GTA Online As long as there is an active audience, the bulk of Rockstar’s long-term development efforts will likely focus on GTA6The online component of once arrived. This means major content updates for GTA 5the version of GTA Online might become less frequent over time, even if the service itself remains available for years.
However, fans certainly didn’t expect to lose any features just yet given GTA6 is still months away, but Rockstar has quietly removed a major feature from GTA Online without saying a word in advance (via IGN).
According to recent reports, Rockstar Games has quietly disabled all gaming activity in GTA OnlineIt is Diamond Casino & Resort for Australian players, leaving many fans perplexed as to why the restriction was introduced almost seven years after the casino’s initial launch.
While Australian players can still enter the casino, complete missions and buy or sell casino chips, they can no longer access blackjack, roulette, poker, slots, horse racing, Lucky Wheel or other games of chance. Attempting to use these features now simply displays a message that they are not available in the region.
The change was first spotted by players before dataminer Rockstar Tez2 discovered new game code referencing a location-based gaming restriction specifically for Australia. Rockstar has not publicly explained the move, but many believe it is linked to Australia’s increasingly strict approach to regulating online gaming.
Although GTA OnlineGoogle’s casino uses virtual chips rather than real money betting, in-game currency can be purchased through Shark Cards, which could prompt further scrutiny. The move has sparked frustration within the community, with many Australian players questioning why the restriction has only been implemented now and expressing concern that similar limitations could affect GTA 6’s online component if it includes casino-style activities.
Additionally, players will surely find it upsetting that Rockstar has not issued any form of official notification or warning that the feature will be removed in GTA Onlineor offered any sort of explanation as to why the game was removed specifically for Australian players only.
GTA Online
Systems
- Released
- October 1, 2013
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Editor(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Engine
- advanced rockstar game engine, euphoria
- Multiplayer
- Online multiplayer
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Genres
- Racing, Shooter, Action-Adventure
