Starting a new GTA Online profile from scratch in public servers is more thrilling than chasing any open-world platinum trophy

GamesActionStarting a new GTA Online profile from scratch in public servers is more thrilling than chasing any open-world platinum trophyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesActionStarting a new GTA Online profile from scratch in public servers is more thrilling than chasing any open-world platinum trophyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Rockstar Games) That is, until I decided to start an entirely new GTA Online profile onPS5. Playing exclusively in the console sphere’s perpetually-unhinged public servers, I now spend as much time staring listlessly at the Wasted screen with a twitching eye than I do any sort of rank-climbing. I curse aloud, and chase the bastard who scuppered my three-package Special Cargo run out of nothing but spite and boredom until they’re face down in the mud and I’ve unlocked an SMG magazine into his motionless, already-respawned-elsewhere corpse. And you know what? I’m having a bloody good time. Less money, more problems (Image credit: Rockstar) READ MORE(Image credit: Rockstar Games)GTA Online design director “couldn’t have ever dreamed” it’d still be going 10 years on READ MORE (Image credit: Rockstar Games)GTA Online design director “couldn’t have ever dreamed” it’d still be going 10 years on (Image credit: Rockstar Games) GTA Online design director “couldn’t have ever dreamed” it’d still be going 10 years on The thing is, revenge in my new save takes a totally different guise. At a paltry (but no less hard-earned) level 34, I don’t have near-limitless disposable income. Besides my job-to-job Executive Office work, I have no real passive cash flow, no abundance of ammo, and certainly no flying DeLorean-like Deluxo equipped with dual-machine guns and homing missiles. Every Special Cargo collection and drop-off is vital, and I simply cannot afford to have any single run turn sour. You see, in my PC save, I’ve always kept myself to myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve faced my fair share of griefers who want nothing more than ruin someone else’s session; but the console spectrum – in my experience, at least – is a different beast entirely. Griefers are now pretty synonymous with GTA Online across all platforms, but I’ve found it to be total mayhem on PS5. Sure, you can still jump into a private server and plug away on your lonesome if you wish (at the expense of less money and RP), but I’ve no desire to: as much as I dislike being gunned down at random and without reason, I absolutely love seeking revenge in the most brutal ways possible. Moreover, while many of the PC scene’s griefers do so via illegal hacking, that’s less the case here – the most irritating console players I’ve faced off against were simply dicks, not cheaters. And that’s fair game. (Image credit: Rockstar) " In one instance, I kid you not, this saw one player face-off finish 31-30 in my opponent’s favor" " In one instance, I kid you not, this saw one player face-off finish 31-30 in my opponent’s favor" The outcome of all of this means that leveling up in GTA Online this time has been tough, but far more rewarding than ever before. Not only am I tasked with overcoming the game’s built-in hurdles – its missions, jobs, business ventures and AI-controlled baddies – but I’m also balancing risk versus reward in a server packed with trigger-happy terrors, whose sole purpose, it certainly seems, is to drive me up the wall. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more In practice, this has seen me cutting down supply runs in order to see deals over the line – successfully shipping two batches of stolen pharmaceuticals is better than having three batches ruined, right? – or settling the most stubborn of scores before embarking on the most involved (and therefore riskier) drug deals and illegal operations. With well over 2,000 hours of GTA Online under my belt, the above has been a welcomed change of pace for me. Who knows what the future holds for the game I’ve obsessed over for the best part of a decade – one whose first iteration landed two console generations ago in late 2013 – but the very fact that it’s still pulling me back, for me, speaks volumes of its enduring appeal. GTA 6 will inevitably bring with it its own online multiplayer space within which I’m sure griefers will find a new home. Through the experience I’ve gleaned above, however, I’ll be more than ready for them. 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iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”