GTA Online update is the best thing to happen to Grand Theft Auto since Heists

GTA Online developer Rockstar is getting ready to release a big new update on PC.

Grand Theft Auto Online loading times have always been a source of frustration, so it was exciting to hear that one fan had managed to cut times down by nearly 70%.

A fan going by the name of T0st recently discovered a way to reduce load times, and shared the news with Rockstar and the public.

“GTA Online. Infamous for its slow loading times. Having picked up the game again to finish some of the newer heists I was shocked (/s) to discover that it still loads just as slow as the day it was released 7 years ago,” reads a blog post by T0st.

“It was time. Time to get to the bottom of this.”

According to the blog post, the biggest problem is that the game runs a check for all of the 63,000+ items and upgrades players can purchase within GTA Online.

While it’s a bit more complicated than that, T0st was able to significantly reduce the loading times by patching the issue.

Indeed, after patching a couple of issues, T0st was able to get the loading times down to less than two minutes, representing a reduction of 69.4%.

Fortunately, Rockstar was paying attention, and has decided to implement the changes as part of the next major update.

“After a thorough investigation, we can confirm that player t0st did, in fact, reveal an aspect of the game code related to load times for the PC version of GTA Online that could be improved,” Rockstar told PC Gamer.

“As a result of these investigations, we have made some changes that will be implemented in a forthcoming title update.”

There’s no word on an exact release date, but GTA Online updates typically launch every week.

T0st also confirmed the news, and told followers that he had been rewarded with some cash.

“Got confirmation from R* that this is getting a fix soon,” T0st revealed. “Just got awarded $10k through their H1 in-game bounty as an exception.”

Despite the loading issues, GTA 5 has gone from strength to strength. Indeed, according to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, GTA 5 has now sold over 140 million units.

“In the history of the entertainment industry, there’s perhaps no experience that’s more loved, more expansive, more critically acclaimed and more successful than Rockstar Games Grand Theft Auto,” Zelnick explained.

“Grand Theft Auto V remains one of the most iconic titles ever released and continues to exceed our expectations, having sold in over 140 million units.

“In fact, in calendar 2020, more copies of Grand Theft Auto V were sold than in any other year except for 2013 when it first launched on PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.”