GTA 5 Online Mission Rewards Reduced By Patch

The latest patch for Grand Theft Auto V's multiplayer has made it harder for players to earn GTA$. Replaying a GTA Online mission now gives you only 50% of the usual payout.

"The first time you play and beat the mission, you will get the full amount. Subsequent replays will see a payout amount reduced by half," Rockstar said on their support site. "This is to keep the game balanced as well as encourage the exploration of new missions and content in the game. We understand players do like to enjoy a mission multiple times, so rather than remove the possibility of doing so, we've allowed replays of these missions at a reduced payout."

"Many players can get very good at a mission and beat it much faster in consecutive tries, so we've adjusted these payouts to match that case."

In other words, they're trying to prevent players from just piling up cash by playing the same mission over and over. No doubt the player community has zeroed in on a few quick, lucrative missions by now to use for this grind. It seems you'll need to find a new way to make that paper.

Why does Rockstar care if you make money quickly? Part of it is game balance. If some players get a severe cash advantage, they can get access to superior equipment and have an edge in competitions. Or they'll get access to the best toys, get bored, and stop playing.

Rockstar has financial incentive to keep you playing longer and earning cash slower, too. They plan to sell GTA$ for real-world money. If it was too easy to rack up the in-game currency, players would never spend any real money on GTA Online and Rockstar would miss out on potential revenue. These microtransactions could be worth a lot of money to Rockstar, too, considering how many GTA 5 owners are out there.

This new change to repeat mission payouts was made in the title update released yesterday. This update also fixed a number of bugs, including one very lucrative glitch that allowed players to sell vehicles multiple times. It's been a rough weekend for aspiring GTA Online millionaires.