GTA Online next-gen instantly banning players for switching from Story Mode

GTA Online players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles are reporting that they are bizarrely being banned when switching into multiplayer from the Story Mode.

For the third console generation in a row, players can drop into Los Santos with their friends in GTA Online. The PS5 and Xbox Series update looked to slash load times and offer long-time players the definitive version of the nine-year-old game.

Some players haven’t been satisfied with the revamped GTA 5 and GTA Online, however. Some have claimed the loading screens are longer than ever, while Xbox players complained that their version runs poorly compared to the PS5.

The latest strange issue affecting the next-gen updates is a wave of bans for GTA Online players that only trigger when they switch from Story Mode to multiplayer.

There are a couple of ways to access GTA Online. Players can either drop in from the main menu or quickly switch after a stint in the single-player campaign.

But according to PS5 and Xbox Series users, trying to load into GTA Online from the GTA 5 Story Mode is causing Rockstar to automatically ban them. This is despite no other evidence of cheating on their account.

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One of the affected accounts belonged to CrosPorcus. “Just tried logging into online through story mode on PS5 and my Social Club has been banned,” he wrote on Twitter. “Never used hacks or exploits or anything like that on my account, just put a lot of hours into it.”

“I guess this is the thanks I get for yet again buying a port of your 9-year-old game,” he continued, mentioning Rockstar Games in the message.

This doesn’t appear to be a one-off occurrence either, as other fans have encountered a similar issue.

InfintyHimself also saw his Rockstar Social Club account banned with no warning, preventing him from accessing both GTA Online and Red Dead Online.

Both of these players were on next-gen consoles, and the message informing them only popped up on-screen when switching from Story Mode to GTA Online. Unfortunately, it isn’t clear yet how long the accounts will be suspended.

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In a later tweet, InfintyHimself mentioned that Rockstar had told him that they are actively looking into the situation. However, they are yet to release an official statement explaining whether or not this is a widespread problem that the community should be wary of.

For now, at least, we recommend only loading into GTA Online from the main menu until the issue is resolved.