GTA Online update pops a quality-of-life feature behind the GTA+ paywall, making it unavailable on PC
We've had the enshittification of Google, Facebook and the public internet at large, now for the enshittification of GTA Online. What do you mean, "it was enshittified to start with"? Take it to the comments please, because first I need to tell you about the latest GTA Online update, which allows you to collect cash accumulated in safes, request vehicles and replenish ammo using your in-game phone - but only if you pay up $8 or $7 a month for a GTA+ subscription, which is currently not available on PC.
The update in question is the Bottom Dollar Bounties update, which adds a Vinewood Club app to your character's mobile, providing you're a GTA+ subscriber. As Gamesradar points out, putting what is being called a "basic quality-of-life feature" behind a paywall has caused something of a scrum on the reddits, and has led to dire predictions about the monetisation of GTA 6, to say nothing of much wailing and gnashing of teeth from poor PC players who are still waiting for Rockstar to add currently PS5/Xbox Series-exclusive features such as animals to GTA Online.
GTA Online players have been calling for the ability to gather safe earnings without having to visit the property in question for yonks, which makes this a bit of a monkey's paw situation. As one redditor puts it: "So many players requested this feature, yeah they're "listening to our feedback" and figuring out how to monetize it. One of the slimiest things they've done in a while." I don't have a GTA Online business empire myself, but it certainly feels rather antiquated to have to show up yourself for every payout. This isn't Goodfellas - GTA Online is set in the 21st century. Still, nothing screams "21st century" like paywalling access to a banking app.
To say a little in Rockstar's defence, there's more to Bottom Dollar Bounties than fury about paywalls. There are the literal walls of the new Bail Enforcement Office, where you'll get to live the morally dubious life of a professional bounty hunter. Here's a
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