GTA Online Download: What to Get on Each Platform

2 min read

On console it can be a separate, smaller install. On PC it is part of GTA V. Here is what you are actually downloading and where.

What a GTA Online download looks like depends entirely on the platform, and the difference catches people out — especially anyone reading a guide written for a different console generation.

PC

GTA Online is not a separate product. You buy Grand Theft Auto V, and Online is inside it. Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Rockstar Games launcher all sell the same thing; whichever you use, the Rockstar launcher ends up installed because the game requires it.

Expect a large install and a long first launch while it verifies files.

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S

The current-generation release splits the game, so GTA Online can be installed on its own without the story campaign. That download is considerably smaller, and it has at times been offered free or as a limited-time promotion on these platforms.

The trade-off is exactly what it says: no Story Mode. If you want the campaign later you buy the full game.

PS4 and Xbox One

Older-generation versions keep story and online in one package. You install GTA V and select Online from the menu.

Before you play

Whatever you downloaded, you need a Rockstar Games Social Club account linked to your platform, and on console a PS Plus or Game Pass Core subscription. Neither is part of the download, and both are where new players get stuck at the last step.