The good news is that Rockstar has made it easier to file an appeal if you feel like BattlEye wrongfully banned you from GTA Online.
Rockstar Games' BattlEye update might have been criticized for being a case of "too little, too late" but you can't say that it isn't working. In fact, it might be working too well.
A little over a week after Rockstar started preparing GTA Online with a must-have feature for Grand Theft Auto 6 when it comes out on PC—the game is still coming out on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X next fall, as per Take-Two Interactive—it seems like BattlEye has gotten a bit too ban happy.
Over the past few days, several users have reported getting banned by BattlEye even though they weren't using Mod Menus or cheats in the first place. Although some of the reported bans are merely exploits spearheaded by the modders that the BattlEye update is targeting, requiring no more than a quick restart of your game to fix, some appear legitimate and require more extensive measures, like appealing the ban.
Rockstar has long had a strenuous relationship with GTA Online PC mods.
Years ago, the community went berserk when Rockstar tried shutting down the people responsible for making mod menus. Now, it seems like the PC gaming community has grown tired of the cheating that runs rampant in GTA Online.
It also doesn't hurt that Rockstar has since extended an olive branch to the modding community. Although Take-Two's more brute force approach might have something to do with it either, as it isn't afraid to throw its weight around and kick proverbial doors down using its army of lawyers, which does work to great effect.
Perhaps aware of the potential that BattlEye would go rogue, Rockstar updated its ban policy last week.
So, if you feel like BattlEye wrongfully banned you from GTA Online on PC, be sure to file an appeal.
However, before appealing, do keep in mind that BattlEye is a kernel-level anti-cheat system that stops hackers and cheaters in their tracks by tracking systems. So while it's possible that you may not be using mod menus and other cheats in GTA Online yourself, someone else using the same PC might not be as innocent. BattlEye can go through the files and tasks running on your computer, so it can detect if you're using a mod or if you recently used one.
TDLR; you might get banned from GTA Online if you share your PC with someone else who's using a mod or a cheat.
It's been an eventful week for Rockstar and GTA so far and, for the first time in a while, it isn't entirely because of GTA 6. While many are still looking forward to the next GTA 6 trailer, GTA Online is taking all the spotlight as the BattlEye update has led to DDoS attacks, server crashes, and a slight uptick in negative reviews of the game.
Finally, Grand Theft Auto 5 might be getting the Expanded and Enhanced update on the PC over two years after it first came out on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X.
