Don't question the idea of a two-bit criminal being given access to a fighter jet. You might be cruising along minding your own business only to get a message informing you that you've been kicked from the game by other players, and when you return, even though you didn't do anything wrong, you're warned that if you keep behaving like this, you'll be designated a bad sport and be forced to play with all the other jerks. Races sometimes hitch up, and competitors sometimes warp around the environment. Matches sometimes fail to start, leaving you stranded in lobbies. Then there are a host of smaller but still significant issues. Losing property is also a tremendous setback, given that it takes a lot of time to earn enough cash for the nicer homes in the game. GTA Online doesn't put its best foot forward right away, which is unfortunate even for new players, but it's doubly unfortunate to have to rise through the ranks a second time. Early on, your mission options are dominated by bland last team standing deathmatches.

Low-level characters don't have access to most of GTA Online's best content. GTA Online's stability has improved considerably since it first launched, but in that time, many players have lost characters and properties they've purchased, which is no minor setback. Unfortunately, sometimes the world behaves in ways that put a stop to your fun. I've found myself more invested in the stylish, enigmatic character I created than I ever was in Michael or Franklin or Trevor. When you're hopping along from one exciting activity to the next, GTA Online is exhilarating. But none of those games let you do more than a fraction of the things GTA Online lets you do, and GTA Online does the things it does well enough for them to be really enjoyable. Its sports offerings aren't going to compete with Tiger Woods or Top Spin. As an online shooter, it's not as exciting as the multiplayer in The Last of Us. As a multiplayer racing game, it's no Forza or Burnout. No individual element measures up to more focused games.

The sheer variety of things to do with and against other players in Grand Theft Auto Online's open world is its greatest asset.

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