Ten Years of Grand Theft Auto Online! Your Memories

[Spider-Vice]

 

Today is 10 years since the release of GTA Online!

 

A behemoth of a live service game that in many ways was ahead of its time for the time it released, one that wasn't even designed to be this big, a launch that of course did not happen without its major issues (check out the old threads from the 1st Oct 2013!), but one that has lasted for over 10 years and has made all kinds of memories, both good and bad, for the millions that still play and enjoy it.

Car meets before the LS Car Meet, friendships with what used to be random people, just shooting the sh*t with others in Los Santos with an increasing amount of activities over the years, and, of course, the typical open world online concern of getting exploded by one of those same randoms that doesn't want any kind of friendship with you.

Plenty of Snapmatics also came out of it, especially with its character creator, which was a lot more basic at the time. Unfortunately said Snapmatics got caught in the nukes but you can take a look at the original Cosplaying/Replica Car thread and Show Your Character thread.

 

It's come a long way even through the same trials and tribulations as the original GTA V, through good moments and otherwise, but it's still one of the most persistent, successful and memory-invoking games out there.

 

From grinding Rooftop Rumble for easy money and Rockstar fighting people for it, to buying your first Chrome Adder and showing it off to everyone, to fast forwarding years and going on an all-out assault on a Chiliad Base, a private island, and more, what are your favourite memories of GTA Online from over the years? Do you still have your launch character, were you affected by the launch issues? Made any friends (or foes)? Tell us everything!

 

--

 

Also, much like the GTA V thread, I'd like this to be a thread specifically for your memories of GTA Online so please keep comments about Rockstar in general or other stuff in the appropriate threads. I know it's sour that Cayo Perico got nerfed near the 10th anniversary, but please keep that in the dedicated thread.

[ClimateLockdowns]

Stuck in the loading screen for hours 

[Gridl0k]

 

One whole actual year out of the last ten I've spent in GTAO. 

 

Personal and global circumstances contributed but still. 

 

Cindamo! 

[Pedinhuh]

The highlight of my history with this game for me was still doing the criminal mastermind challenge with some of the finest folks from here, back in 2017 I think? I bought my Yacht with that money and truly felt accomplished. Very good times I had back then.

 

I also had other memories, such as back when I started car collecting and learning the ropes of getting specific crew color paint jobs on my cars by using my phone, getting some of those cars with unique items and interior colors...But nothing came close to doing the CMM challenge.

 

To my surprise I don't really have a lot of bad memories with it because there's no point in remembering stuff like that, but I do wish this was much, much, MUCH LESS toxic than it is because then maybe I could have more great memories, but this game is what it is I guess.

 

Almost 10 years that I have been playing this game as my "main game" because nothing else came close to deliver the tons of content that this game does, while I don't regret it, I also wish there was better options out there.

[The-Ghost]

GTAO is a special game, I didn't play it when it went live, I did a few months after but I was following the news and whatnot, over the years this game offered a pass-time and sometimes an escape, it allowed me to meet some amazing people and make some life-lasting friendships.

 

Quick photoshop thing I made from the other thread:

 

Here is the oldest selfie I have saved of my (at the time male) character, PS3:

 

And here's my (now female) character, PC:

 

Spoiler

PS5

 

Still a bad driver all these years

45 minutes ago, Gridl0k said:

 

One whole actual year out of the last ten I've spent in GTAO. 

 

Personal and global circumstances contributed but still. 

 

Cindamo! 

and I thought I played a lot with my 378 days

Edited October 1 by MaddenedGhost

[Gridl0k]

Earliest found snapmatic - me claiming a Special Cargo crate, wearing my precious, a Blarney hat on 360

 

[Spider-Vice]

360 with all that grass and snap resolution? Or you mean the hat is something you got on the 360?  The Gen7 countryside was barren and snaps were like 300p.

[Gridl0k]

1 minute ago, Spider-Vice said:

360 with all that grass and snap resolution? Or you mean the hat is something you got on the 360?  The Gen7 countryside was barren and snaps were like 300p.

 

I was wondering myself, due to size yeah - but I was running an elgato on 360 so could be that. Lets call it a recreation of an actual event  

[Gridl0k]

Here's one then - that bug where you could run around underwater after drowning a car

 

 

 

[The-Ghost]

I made a little edit to that post, I attempted to recreate the picture on PC lol

[Zak Ras]

GTA IV Multiplayer only ever had the 10 ranks you went up by earning money in Ranked Modes, which only served to unlock more clothing options for your characters across the main game and the 2 Episode DLCs. But it as more than enough to connect online and have a mindless runaround Liberty City with other players, be it stunt shows at the Francis International, swingset launching, chopper blade launching from Rotterdam Tower, racing through the huge subway network or just loading up a bus and going on a ridiculous rampage with randoms. So when that GTA Online Gameplay Reveal dropped, and detailed our Online character would actually be persistent with a bank account, buying a property, owning a collection of vehicles, clothing, hair, tattoos and that even we would be able to do Heists like robbing a large bank - it was brilliant. Launch was a rough, and it was pretty disappointing to see how furiously simple people treated freeroam; "iT's GtA, mEaNt To KiLl PeOpLe" and R*'s only offer to veteran GTA IV freeroam players like myself being to make Passive Mode ghost your character to avoid ragdoll griefing from Fire Truck water cannons.

 

But I didn't realise at the time, on October 4th 2013 I had created the character I would still be building up 10 years later - the character that would become the biggest success story I've ever played as in a GTA game.

 

From penniless fresh off the plane Rank 1 two bit hoodlum sticking up stores --- to billionaire Rank 1000 one man army, cargo shipping, gunrunning, drug-lord criminal kingpin, world saviour IAA Agent & legit-legitimate business man... the biggest change remains going from a stolen Lost MC version of the Daemon (which you can't buy, only steal if it's a Simeon Vehicle) to the Bikers 2016 version. Which is also when I clocked that the updates were going to feature dripfeed with vehicles being held back throughout the weeks after launch.

 

 

EDIT: I should probably update that thread I made of my attempt to recreate him in Maya, made some more changes to his face a few days ago for a more faithful recreation.

Edited October 1 by Zak Ras

[Tails Prower]

Well it's pretty hard to realise that the younger me (38 years old in 2013) would make the decision to play GTA Online.

 

Back then I wasn't really into online gaming and so I was very much the inexperienced 'noob' that didn't really know what he was doing, got frustrated alot with the player base and generally didn't have anyone to call 'online' friends.

 

That changed quite quickly thanks to my signing up here and I guess I found my 'niche' of helping with finding rare cars/treasure hunts etc and playing contact missions and the like, very special memories of some crate battles, being banned for a period by R* due to the 'billions' mods that happened back on PS3/Xbox360 days etc etc.

 

Overall the  memories are good and it's a bit sad that other games finally took me away from GTA Online back in 2018 but I still play from time to time when PSPlus free weekends.

 

I doubt the game will last in it's current form  for the next 10 years but it certainly has set many memories and records over it's time.

[Gridl0k]

I would have a sh*tload more stuff if photobucket wasn't a massive c*nt 

 

Including gif of my billion-dollar bounty claim, perhaps the best early GTAO thing to happen

Edited October 1 by Gridl0k

[The-Ghost]

2 minutes ago, Gridl0k said:

I would have a sh*tload more stuff if photobucket wasn't a massive c*nt 

 

Including gif of my billion-dollar bounty claim, perhaps the best early GTAO thing to happen

imgur is being weird with some of my old posts too but I did find this picture from way back lol

 

It looks like a regular picture but the struggle was real trying to get decent shots when we had no editor to work with lol

 

Same for this

 

Also, here's this goof from when Import/Export came out.

[The-Ghost]

Anyone remembers when someone made a thread here challenging people to drive the Raptor up mount cilliad in 2017 2016? good times...good times

 

 

Edited October 1 by MaddenedGhost

[Gridl0k]

This counts right 

 

 

 

[The-Ghost]

3 minutes ago, Gridl0k said:

This counts right 

 

 

 

Yeaaah.... PS3 here but it was pretty much the same, reinstalling GTA made you go through 18 or whatever title updates every time lol

[Hellbendzor]

 

Technically it hasn't been ten years for me, but still... Time flies and the first few years I've had alot of fun in this game. I still do to an extent, but everything I wanted to obtain... I did. So these days, I just do small stuff to keep the lil flame alive. Still collect, still earn stuff, but no more grinding. Mostly solo, luckily we can do almost all stuff solo these days, one of the positive changes Rockstar did. 

 

I'm glad I found this forum too, been a home for me for all these years and I've been practically and continually visiting this forum on a daily. I'm glad this forum persisted and still remains online after all these years. As an oldtimer myself (closing rapidly on 50) alot of the forums I frequented over the past two decades, have ceased to exist or moved on to social media. I'm glad this one remains and I hope it'll stay. Big thumbs up to the moderators and the powers to be in here. Thanks for the past and let's hope for a great future ahead still. Positive and informative house with alot of GREAT contributors. Really my place to go for all the latest GTA-stuff.So big thx to all of you...

 

My most fun memory to this day? Well, the day when I completed my personal challenge to land all available planes on Maze bank in populated sessions. That felt great. Trying with a few friends at the time was nice too. That was a great moment there.

 

My worst memory? Well, there's only one TT that I haven't completed to this very day and one TT that enraged me to a point I thought I couldn't reach... Down Chilliad.... GRRRRRRRR 

missed it by a few ms.... Next attempt saw me chasing my bike for the x time... I blew up... LOL...Then my son took over and completed it after a few attempts... LOL... That one really got to me. I said I never would try it again. I sticked to that personal promise... 

 

There's more, but I have two more years to get to 10 on PC...  Let's hope 6 lands before that time...

 

[Lonely-Martin]

It's been one hell of a ride to watch this game become what it is. I'm sure there was not one soul that could anticipate whatever next decade would bring upon launch, especially with how rough it was to begin with!

 

I was a complete noob starting up that first time, never played an online game so didn't know what to expect really. But aside some unsavoury crap, it was largely fun and I started getting on well with others that we could help and enjoy more and more. 

 

Then the criminal mastermind happened, and a few others since with doomsday coming and helping by joining other groups I'd met here, and those moments made the game just so much better all round, and felt rewarding to play too.

 

My kids were 10 and 8 when this game stared, and to go from letting my lad drive about on mute for a giggle to running a full criminal mastermind with him years later as he grew up is just something I'll never forget either.

 

The game is the game, good and bad of it. But without those moments with you here, in game, or those soppy moments with my kids when I stop to think about it, that's what this game became. 

 

Faults and all, probably the best gaming ever was and probably ever will be, until the grandkids come. But there's no rush there, lol. Wanna enjoy another GTA story or two first!!

 

Thanks folks! You are GTA!

[BaId_Razor]

The best game I've ever played in my 30+ year career as a gamer.  Nothing more needs to be added.

[The-Ghost]

One of the funniest memories I have of this game is right around Bikers' launch, I had a little war going on with an MC of 6-7 members in freeroam, it was me against all of them, for whatever reason their President decided to start a sourcing mission while we were out there shooting each other, I can't remember how but I was just a few feet away from their packages, but as usual with the unpredictability of this game, I sat beside the packages, they all came in, collected their stuff, delivered them to their business, nobody raised a gun or fired a bullet, and right after they were done, we got back to the fight

 

Another one is when my friends and I all took police cars and proceeded to chase this one other random that was in our lobby, we did not kill him, we just chased him around while he drove a bike.

 

 

 

Edited October 1 by MaddenedGhost

[Teal]

I'm trying to remember my fondest memory. I have been playing since 3 October 2013 with two years or more gaps in between.

 

The only one I can think of is the midnight of 26 December 2013: we did a car meet on top of Mount Chiliad and after, we all drove off the ramp and tumble down the mountain.

 

Good times.

Edited October 1 by Teal

[DeathNyx]

Happy 10th Anniversary GTAO! I wish u 10 more years...

 

...and better updates/fixed from R*.

[Max96]

A'ight, I'll be short.

I started in the beginning of 2018. Went through tutorial, was excited for the intro cutscenes. For first time I've been joining races, adversary modes, etc. Later on I've purchased my first high-end apartment to start heists, found two guys who were joining heists on call. We went through all OG heists, repeated them several times to earn some money. When I had enough money, I purchased my first business property - the office and cargo warehouse. What's next? Yes, I've been grinding crates. It was the beginning of July, I've finished school and exams. In the end of July After Hours DLC came out, so I went for a night club property. Almost passive income did help a little to earn more cash for further properties.

By the end of 2018 I had almost every property, here Arena War DLC comes out. Been playing arena modes for a while. It seemed kinda fun but the idea of DLC died so fast.

2019: I've met a guy from Netherlands and we became friends. Been playing together with him and his friends, we completed casino story missions, replayed heists, were doing business sales and other activities GTA Online offered. By the end of 2019 I was hyped for The Diamond Casino Heist DLC. It was snowy both in real life and in game, still remember delivering getaway vehicles.

2020: Nothing really special here during first half but by the end of 2020 met another guy. We were hyped again for Cayo Perico Heist DLC, been doing it with him a lot: different approaches, all main targets. Shortly we were completing DLC rewards.

2021 was one of the best years in GTA Online for me. Amazing Tuners DLC and legendary The Contract. Awesome times.

2022: Things are going down, E&E version is out. Been waiting for the content on PC. Finished university by the end of June, returned to GTA Online in the end of July to try out The Criminal Enterprises DLC. I didn't like Drug Wars DLC much but still it was okay for me. Halloween and Christmas events were cool! Completed OG heists Criminal Mastermind.

2023: Mostly been playing with my former classmate and my best friend in real life. He decided to try GTA Online out, was helping him to earn money. We completed San Andreas Mercenaries DLC missions together. Completed all Doomsday Criminal Mastermind challenges.

September 19th: I've created my last character in GTA Online starting from rank 120. Still playing around with friends, waiting for Halloween event, the heists month and Christmas DLC & event!

Yeah, I started playing GTA Online late but still got lots of memories!

[The-Ghost]

Here's another one of my memories with GTAOnline:

 

My friends and I thought it would be fun to do Pacific Standards Finale using a bus, and it was:

[Darth_Cruiser]

11 minutes ago, MaddenedGhost said:

Here's another one of my memories with GTAOnline:

 

My friends and I thought it would be fun to do Pacific Standards Finale using a bus, and it was:

 

Moments like these during heists were a lot of fun lol

[Rammer2k]

Who else remembers calling up the mechanic, watching him drive in circles before delivery our cars, then set him on fire.

 

[McIn Tyler]

Boooy from PS3 all the way to now current gen Series S, my character is 10 years old. 

[TheOriginalGunslinger]

Being greeted by Cris Formage himself in the afterlife. Still the coolest cutscene in all of GTA Online in my opinion

 

 

KIFFLOM!

Edited October 1 by TheOriginalGunslinger

[Insoluble Fiber]

played gta online first time dec 2013, nearly 10 years later still playing it 

 

an interesting thing is that in the early beginning, once you bought the eclipse apt and filled out the garage, you could retire

 

then gta online started to expand, expand for the next 10 years

 

SO MUCH so that i completely got lost in the collection aspect of the game. I think the DLC that really made me chase all in game collectibles was the diamond casino update 

 

And i guess there will still be new stuff to collect for a while