Fans Angry As GTA Online Removes Nearly 200 Cars And Adds Some Behind A Paywall

The new GTA Online San Andreas Mercenaries update has reportedly removed nearly 200 vehicles from the game in an attempt to “streamline the browsing experience.” The “lesser-used vehicles” are now inaccessible to the bulk of the users. In a blog post detailing the changes and additions in the new update, the devs announced the removal of many cars from the shop; the new patch has since gone live on June 13.

Around 200 vehicles became the target of the huge purge in the process, but Rockstar Games has made them available for premium users only to add more salt to the wounds of the community. Many players are furious with the developers for the sudden decision. Some of the purged cars from the shop can still be purchased by GTA Online+ subscribers, essentially adding the nostalgic rides behind a giant paywall.

Lesser-used vehicles will be removed from in-game websites to streamline the browsing experience. These vehicles will be made available via events showrooms, The Lucky Wheel, and other places,” mentions the blog post.

The removed cars could once be purchased using in-game currency by every player, but free-to-play players can’t buy them now. For instance, the three vehicles, namely the Stirling GT, the RE-7B, and the Seminole Frontier are no longer buyable unless the GTA+ subscription is owned by the player.

The number of removed cars has been counted by a passionate fan on Reddit, with many criticizing the judgment by Rockstar Games. Hence, fans have taken to social forums to discuss the update and many of its controversial changes, with the biggest one being the new paywall introduced in the game. The players have also criticized the new missions catering to multiple people instead of a single-player experience.

As per fans, the removal is likely a strategy to push GTA+ sales because the withdrawn cars will rotate weekly in the new Vinewood Car Club, which is only accessible by premium players. Moreover, it would have been better to add a filter system to the shop to streamline the experience instead of removing the commodities altogether, as agreed upon by many fans.

GTA Online has been a staggering success for Rockstar Games, causing the team to focus on updates and major new content to keep it thriving over its long period. Grand Theft Auto 5 has sold over 175 million copies in recent reports but has also suffered revenue losses. Despite the large fan base, many users have shown outrage toward the devs due to the costly in-game purchases, polemic updates, and huge exploits over the years.

For instance, one recent exploit was causing players’ accounts to be banned, which was eventually tackled in a patch. The recent deletion of many nostalgic vehicles for users and locking some of them behind a paywall is yet another setback to the game. Rockstar Games has not yet commented on the huge change after the update was rolled out.

The new GTA Online San Andreas Mercenaries update brings improved loading times, better matchmaking, and many other QoL changes. Many new missions, vehicles, and planes have been added to the title alongside outfits from some of the olden Grand Theft Auto entries. The update can be relished on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

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