A legally-distinct series of races which are definitely not Formula One featuring no official F1 vehicles arrived in GTA Online, and it’s as messy as you’d expect from an open-world murder simulator. Up to 16 murderers can compete in the new Open Wheel Races, whipping around at tight tracks at 120mph while fighting their honed instincts which scream to ram and kill everyone. At least, that’s what I imagine other players are experiencing when I see six cars pile up at the first corner. While you can buy an F1 car for keepsies, the races will provide one so all are welcome. Ish. Welcome-ish. Unless you get in my way.
It’s said that the aerodynamic design of Formula One cars generates so much downforce that you could, theoretically, drive one upside-down. In reality, nobody seems willing to risk vehicle and vertebrae to attempt this stunt. But in GTA Online, we’re mere bytes so of course driving on the ceiling (oh what a feeling!) was one of the first things people tried when the first F1 car arrived last week. It is possible, and it’s great fun. I won one myself and frankly am now more interested in F1 stunting than the F1 races launching this week. Come see.
A series of Formula 1-y races are coming to GTA Online on February 27th, Rockstar announced today. I say ‘Formula 1’ because that’s the one I know, but I suppose the upcoming Open Wheel Race Series could be inspired by F2, or IndyCar, or… look, it’s those weird cars shaped like fighter jets, okay. While those races don’t start until next Thursday, crimepeople do have the opportunity to win one of its new cars now. The Progen PR4 is the grand prize on the Diamond Casino’s free-to-spin prize wheel this week, see, and that’s the only official way to get it before the launch.
This week in GTA Online, the shiny Dewbauchee Vagner supercar has a tidy 35% discount. I’ve heard it’s a good car and, being flush with cash from the recent giveaways, I thought I’d treat myself to one. Oh! Yes, that’s a good car. That’s a really good car. That’s great. I’ve never driven a good car before. If I’d known GTA Online’s expensive cars were actually great, not just flashy, I wouldn’t have spent literal years of ill-gotten gains on novelty cars and wacky trash. I have amassed sensible family cars, crapmobiles, and racing hearses when I could have been travelling with style, speed, and luxury. And yet, I am still proud of my garage of garbage and wish to show you what I’ve been suffering through.
Everyone loves a good action game. It’s the driving force behind so many of our favourite PC games, but only a few can lay claim to being the best action games of all time. That’s why we’ve compiled this list – to sort the pulled punches from the bestest biffs that PC has to offer. Whether it’s the joy of pulling off a perfect combo, riding the wave of an explosive set-piece or the hair-raising thrill of dodging enemy attacks in slow-motion that gets you going, there’s an action game here for you.
After 21 years as a Rockstar Games big cheese, Dan Houser will leave the company in March. He’s co-written almost every Rockstar game since 1999, including Grand Theft Auto from London through to V, Bully, Max Payne 3, and the Red Dead Redemptions. That’s made him a big influence on the tone of Rockstar’s games. I wonder how that might change once he’s moved on. Where he’s going and what he’ll do next, we don’t know. He can probably afford to eat pizza while watching Heat on loop the rest of his life, to be honest.
Across the next fortnight, GTA Online players can claim $2,000,000 of crimecash for free just for logging in, while Red Dead Online players can scoop a free Bounty Hunter license as well as some free guns and ammo. Rockstar announced the freebies today while crowing about “another record-breaking holiday season” for both multiplayer modes, spaffing all sorts of claims against the digiwall. For example: December 2019 was GTA Online’s “largest month ever in terms of player numbers,” which is pretty impressive considering how old it is. But mostly I’m here for the free stuff.
Every game is better with friends, but some games are the most betterer of all. These are the best co-op games you can play on PC in 2020. Whether you want to survive against zombie hordes, fell giant monsters, or fling your physicsy forms across chasms, there’s a game for you below.
Rockstar and games industry trade association UKIE have responded to a report that the Grand Theft Auto developer claimed 37.6m in video game tax relief for the 2018/19 financial year, accounting for 37 per cent of all UK games industry tax relief claims.
According to think thank TaxWatch, the figure, which is believed to relate to development of a new Grand Theft Auto game, means that Rockstar North has now claimed a total of 80m in UK Video Games Tax Relief, equating to a quarter of all relief claimed since the government scheme launched in 2014 following extensive industry lobbying.
It also means, as per TaxWatch's report, that Rockstar has paid no Corporation Tax for the fourth year running in the UK, despite the developer's GTA5 having amassed more than an estimated $6bn USD in sales since releasing in 2014.