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Developed by Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto Online is a dynamic multiplayer component of the GTA franchise where you can freely explore the vast city of Los Santos and engage in cooperative missions and competitive matches. Playing with friends in GTA Online can increase your fun and excitement by creating a shared gaming experience with your buddies.
The massive open world in GTA Online supports up to 30 players on current-gen consoles and PC, allowing them to freely explore a shared map and participate in various game modes. Whether you are struggling to add your friends or searching for options to cross-play, we have got you covered.
Multiplayer Options
In Grand Theft Auto Online, you can play in various multiplayer modes. You can form alliances with other players and even compete against them depending on your chosen game mode. Primarily there are four types of multiplayer modes in the game. These include:
- The Race Series: In the Race Series, you can compete against other players and your friends in races across Los Santos and Blaine County.
- Survival: In survival, unlike the Race Series, a group of players will function as a team to fight off waves of incoming enemy attacks.
- Death Match: A Death Match is a player-versus-player or PVP scenario where you can fight against other players. The final goal of a Death Match is to have the most kills during the session.
- Heists: Heists in Grand Theft Auto Online are an elaborate multiplayer mode where you can team up with other players or friends to execute criminal operations.
Public Sessions Vs. Private Sessions
The key difference between a public and private session in GTA Online is the privileges to join a game.
A public session is accessible to any player around the world, which means that the gameplay is more unpredictable as it has equal potential for conflict and cooperation.
Whereas a private session is invite-only (only players with an invitation to the session can join). Private sessions offer a more controlled environment, leading to more cooperative gameplay. This feature makes private sessions ideal for playing with friends and executing heists.
Is There Cross-Play?
Cross-platform play or cross-play is a feature that allows players on different systems (Xbox, PlayStation, or PC) to play and compete against each other. Currently, GTA Online is not a cross-play title which means that its players on different platforms cannot team up or fight against each other.
So, for instance, if you are playing on a PC, you cannot play with your friends or other players that are using a different platform like PlayStation or Xbox to play the game.
How To Add Your Friends
If you plan to play GTA Online with your friends, then you must add them to your in-game friend list.
The process varies slightly depending on whether you use a console or PC. This section will guide you through the process for each platform.
How To Add Friends on PC
If you are using a PC to play GTA Online, you must follow the following steps to add your friends to your game.
- Start by registering with Rockstar Games Social Club if you haven’t already done so. Visit the social club website and use the Signup option to create your account and log in to Social Club (existing users can skip this step and directly sign in to their account).
- After you have logged in, download the Rockstar games launcher since you’ll need it to certify your purchase in case you bought your game through Steam or Epic Games.
- Once you have verified your purchase, press the home button on your PC to open the Social Club. Select the search option under friends to enter the username for your friends. After finding your friends, open their profile and select “Add Friend.”
How To Add Friends On Console
If you play the game on a console (Playstation/ Xbox), you can manually add your friends by using their PSN username or Xbox gamer tag. To add your friends to your console, follow the below steps:
- For Xbox, press the Xbox buttons to open your guide and select “People.” Select “Find People” and enter your friend’s Gamertag to send them a friend request.
- On Playstation, navigate to “Friends” in the PS menu and select “Search”. Now enter your friend’s PSN username and send them a friend request.
How To Play With Your Friends
Now that you have added your friends, you can start playing together by inviting them to your game. So start GTA Online and open the pause menu. Select the “Friends” tab and wait for your friends to come online. Once they are online, you can select their name to invite them to your game.
How To Add Random Players To Your Friends List
An in-game method to add players to your friend list is to use contacts on your phone. However, the phone will only display other players that are in the same session as you. To add a player, simply select a player's name and select the option to send them a friend request.
You can also view their profile to view the player’s profile which will take you to their Rockstar account.
Another method is to use the Online tab in the pause menu. Here you will find a "Players" option that gives you the list of all players.
You can select a player's name and reach his profile, allowing you to send them a friend request.