GTA Online finally gets BattlEye anti-cheat, and some fans think it's a sign of bigger things to come

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Nine years after it arrived on PC, Rockstar's multiplayer murder and mayhem sim Grand Theft Auto Online has integrated BattlEye anti-cheat software.

Simply put, BattlEye aims to keep people in online games from doing things they're not supposed to. That's been an ongoing problem in GTA Online for many years, and a real challenge for Rockstar: Cheaters suck and GTAO is often a goat rodeo, but roleplaying servers enabled by mods are also a big part of what makes GTA Online so popular.

To allow modders to keep doing their thing, BattleEye can be disabled with the launch argument "-nobattleeye." It can also be turned off when playing the singleplayer campaign. While I feel like letting people switch BattlEye off is at least potentially asking for shenanigans of one form or another, it will hopefully in practice mean that stock GTA Online players will enjoy fewer cheater-caused headaches in the game, while RP players can go about their ridiculous business uninterrupted.

Vital stuff indeed.

An FAQ warns that the addition of BattlEye may cause technical problems with some "non-cheat overlays and visual enhancement tools." You also won't be able to connect to official GTA Online servers when BattlEye is switched off. If you run into grief following the addition of BattlEye, a troubleshooting guide has advice on how to proceed.

Despite those potential headaches, this is a big move for Rockstar. Never forget, cheaters or not, GTA Online is massively popular and a huge moneymaker. Years after Take-Two Interactive tried to force an end to the popular FiveM mod for GTA Online, Rockstar embraced the mod scene to the point that it acquired the studio that made it, saying it wants to "help them find new ways to support this incredible community and improve the services they provide to their developers and players."

As to why Rockstar has integrated BattlEye into GTA Online after almost a decade of going without, Rockstar Games follower Tez2 speculated that it "could be seen as preparations for the arrival of the Gen9 version [of Grand Theft Auto 5] on PC."

That would be the hoped-for but thus far not-actually-extant update that will, if it actually happens, make the PC version of GTA 5 and GTAO equivalent to the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 editions of the game, adding graphical and performance enhancements, new content like the Career Progress progression and rewards system, and access to the GTA+ subscription service. I've reached out to Rockstar for more information on that front and will update if I receive a reply.

PRODUCTS

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.