‘GTA V’ Servers Down For Maintenance, Online Heist Rumors Spread

Just about a year to the day after Rockstar Games released their blockbuster phenomenon Grand Theft Auto V, players are still logging into GTA Online, the multiplayer add-on for the game,. Like children getting coal for Christmas, they’re met with disappointment as they wait for the long-promised and yet undelivered online heists.

Rockstar games has announced that all GTA Online servers, including their Social Club, will be down for maintenance on September 19. Could it be that they’re preparing their servers for the massive flood of players logging in to participate in the new game mode?

The feature has been talked about since shortly after the launch of GTA Online, but with little word from Rockstar as to an actual release date, speculation has run rampant with every new DLC and patch announcement conjuring up rumors that they’re on the verge on launching the coveted game mode.

Online heists would allow players to cooperatively engage in what was easily one of the most cinematic and thrilling modes in the single-player campaign. Heists will allow players to choose, plan, and execute their own elaborate missions to steal everything not bolted to the floor, then escape the police in daring chases straight out of a Jerry Bruckheimer film. It would add some much-needed depth to GTA Online, which can become a bit stale after a short period of time, especially when playing solo.

Speculation is that Rockstar will launch the mode as a part of the 1.17 patch, which boasts major performance enhancements for both next-gen and previous-gen console users. It very well could be that when Rockstar flicks the switch back on for GTA Online‘s servers, heists would still be unavailable. Other rumors suggest that the launch date will coincide with GTA V‘s re-launch on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, confirmed by Rockstar Games as being November 18.

Although gamers have remained optimistic about heists for GTA V, their optimism has been mixed with trepidation for some and sarcasm for others. Players recall when GTA Online first launched and the multitude of issues that beleaguered millions of would-be virtual thugs, such as infinite log-in times, network disconnects, and countless delays. In fact, it was so infuriating to customers that Rockstar Games launched a “stimulus package” of $500,000 in-game dollars into each player’s account as an act of contrition.

What are your thoughts? How long have you been waiting for heists?