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The most controversial GTA Online updates of all time and why they divided the community

The most controversial GTA Online updates of all time and why they divided the community

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Apr 22, 2025, 20:23 IST

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GTA Online has seen its share of controversial updates over the years. San Andreas Mercenaries angered players by deleting 188 vehicles and introducing tedious missions. The Oppressor MKII's arrival during the Beach Bum era transformed public lobbies into griefing zones, disrupting the core gameplay experience and frustrating both casual and competitive players.

The most controversial GTA Online updates of all time and why they divided the community

Image via Rockstar

GTA Online has been running strong for over a decade now, but not every update has been a W. In fact, some of them almost killed the vibe entirely. From wild nerfs to deleted vehicles to griefing nightmares, Rockstar’s decision-making has sometimes left the community straight-up fuming. Here are the most controversial updates ever—and why they caused such a massive split in the GTAO fam.

Worst GTA Online Updates And DLCs Ever (2013 - 2024)

1. San Andreas Mercenaries: The Update That Made Everyone Rage-Quit

Let’s start with the biggest offender — San Andreas Mercenaries. This update didn’t just drop the ball, it threw it off a cliff.

188 cars deleted. Yes, one hundred and eighty-eight vehicles got yeeted from the in-game websites with no proper warning. That’s not just content removal — that’s history getting erased. Players were furious, especially collectors and car lovers.
Avenger Missions? Mid. Missions were a snoozefest with underwhelming payouts, clunky design, and a ridiculously overpriced upgrade barrier.
Interaction Menu Nerfs. Rockstar also tweaked the UI and pushed essential options into the pause menu — making life harder for literally no reason.
Platform Lockout. Oh, and you could only trade delisted cars on next-gen, leaving PC and last-gen players out in the cold. Like, why?

2. ULP Missions (Summer Update): Yawn Fest with One Good Fix

ULP missions were meant to bring some secret-agent spice. Instead, they brought… meh.

Mid-tier Missions. Repetitive, boring, and forgettable. It felt like filler content with no soul.
ONE good thing: You could finally sell businesses in invite-only lobbies. That one change saved grinders from public lobby nightmares — shoutout to Rockstar for finally listening there. But beyond that? Not much else to celebrate.

GTA5 | Beach Bum Update (EC)

3. Beach Bum + The Oppressor MKII Era: Welcome to Grief Central

Beach Bum update was chill, no real drama — until the Oppressor MKII entered the chat. This thing didn’t just change the meta, it broke it.

Flying death machine. The MKII made griefing effortless. One button, one rocket, instant rage-quit.
Ruined PVP. Public lobbies turned into chaos. Casual players dipped. Competitive players got sick of endless cheap kills. It became a game of “who gets the MKII first.”

So… Why Do These Updates Hurt So Much?

Because they mess with the core experience players fell in love with. When Rockstar cuts content, locks features behind paywalls or consoles, or makes quality-of-life worse, it feels like they’re not listening. And GTA players? We notice. Yes, the latest updates have tried to clean things up. But that Mercenaries update? It’s gonna haunt the game’s legacy for a long time.

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About the Author

TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

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