Rockstar's attempt to protect GTA Online from hackers has backfired for Linux users, locking them out of the game.
Rockstar Games' latest anti-cheat update for Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online isn't going as well as planned.
Roughly a decade after GTA Online's initial launch, Rockstar has just introduced BattleEye, a robust software decided to prevent hackers from abusing the game. It's always a good idea to protect the integrity of one of the most popular and profitable properties on the market, which is exactly what Rockstar is doing. But it appears it has come at the expense of those who play GTA Online on a desktop using a Linux OS, including the entirety of the Steam Deck playerbase.
As revealed by several users, anyone on a Linux-based machine can't play GTA Online as of the moment and it appears that neither Rockstar nor Steam know what's happening.
In a post shared by u/realelpixion, it's revealed that whenever you try to report the matter to Rockstar, the long-time GTA developers will redirect you to ask Valve or Steam, who then say that this is a matter for Rockstar.
Some on social media quickly jumped on the hate bandwagon and called out the developers for basically "tanking" GTA Online's playerbase on Steam. However, a quick look on SteamDB will show you that GTA Online's playerbase naturally goes up and down, so there isn't really any relationship between the latest GTA Online update and the perceived playercount drop.
Nevertheless, it's still important for Rockstar to address this issue. Otherwise, it risks alienating players who have so far enjoyed logging into Los Santos on their portable handhelds before the BattleEye update completely took the option away from them.
The good news is that Rockstar and Valve appear to have made peace with each other and are actively looking for a proper solution.
According to a separate post on Reddit by u/notjordansime, the two companies are now working closely to get to the root of the problem. As a bonus, Steam's customer support replied that GTA Online is currently on sale, which it is, as part of the game's 11th anniversary.
In the meantime, some modders have given up support for GTA Online following the release of BattleEye, including Kiddion's Modest Menu, a walking cheat code that lets players get the weapon they want on a whim with maxed out ammo.
Cheats are a huge part of the GTA experience in story mode, but hackers have also infiltrated the game, especially on the PC. You can't blame Rockstar for wanting to protect it. If the update is affecting modders, it's also impacting hackers, who will have to work harder to bypass the anti-cheat software.
While it's unfortunate that certain players can no longer enjoy GTA Online, it's for the benefit of everyone, especially with Grand Theft Auto 6 coming out next year, as confirmed by Take-Two Interactive.
Through trial and error, BattleEye's implementation in GTA Online should improve. By the time GTA 6 is out, it will be near impossible for hackers to ruin everyone's gameplay experience, which is crucial considering that Take-Two just acquired one of the biggest modding groups, presumably to make GTA 6 more moddable.
Speaking of GTA 6, BattleEye's arrival hints at an earlier-than-usual release of the PC port, but fans shouldn't hope for a simultaneous multi-platform launch just yet. Also, as part of the latest update, Rockstar leaked that it's working on a PC port of GTA 5: Expanded and Enhanced.
