It’s a new year, and that means there’s tons of great content to look forward to forGrand Theft Autofans. Not only are we teeming with anticipation for the long-awaitedGrand Theft Auto 6,butGTA Onlineis also moving forward with plenty of updates.
If you’ve never gotten your hands onGTA Online, you may be wondering if you can join the havoc of Los Santos for free. We’re here to give you all the info you need on whetherGTA Onlineis free to play in 2025.
Can you play GTA Online for free in 2025?
The short answer isno, you can’t playGTA Onlineby just downloading the game for free and hopping in. However, the reality is a bit more complicated.
If you have a PS Plus Extra or PS Plus Premium subscription, however,Grand Theft Auto 5is free to add to your game library through the membership. With this comes full access to the online version of the game, which isGTA Online. You do have to pay for the PS Plus subscription, and if you decide to cancel your membership, you’ll lose access to the game.
GTA 5was added back to the PS Plus Extra and Premium library back in November 2024, after being removed for a few months. We don’t know how long it will remain as part of the PS Plus catalog, so it’s best to download and play it now while you still can.
If you’ve already purchasedGTA 5, the latest solo story-based game in the franchise, then you’ve already purchasedGTA Online. These two were developed side by side, and you can hop between solo and multiplayer as you please. You are also able to buyGTA Onlineas a standalone for a cheaper price.
Since you need an online subscription to enjoy the online world ofGTA Onlineanyway, we’d highly recommend just paying for PS Plus Extra or Premium instead of buying the full game. You’d need to purchase PS Plus even if you bought the standalone game, so you’ll just be paying even more money.
Will GTA Online ever be free to play?
For a short time in December 2024, PlayStation let users playGTA Onlinecompletely for free, even without the PS Plus subscription. However, this period came to an end on December 24, and it was removed from players’ libraries if they chose not to purchase a copy of the game or the membership.
It’s unknown whether, in the future, Rockstar will ever makeGTA Onlinecompletely free to play like they did in December, but for now, the game is likely to remain as it is. Free for PS Plus Extra and Premium members, and available to purchase for everyone else.
But, withGTA 6on its way, there’s always hope for the future.
