Grand Theft Auto V has been the most popular game of this generation thanks to Rockstar’s overwhelming support for the very ambitious online mode. Rockstar has done a good job of keeping players busy with constant updates that brought new vehicles, clothes, weapons, game modes, and much more to the game.
While Rockstar promised support for the online service before the game released, there was one promise they made that took a while for them to deliver on: Heists. The first Heist for GTA Online released two years after the game released.
Despite the long wait, Heists were well-received as they gave players lengthy and bombastic missions that had plenty of variety and replayability.
As a major surprise, Rockstar announced that a new Heist was coming and that it would be much crazier in comparison to the originals.
The Doomsday Heist brought a variety of new content, like vehicles, weapons, customization options and a new radio station featuring Frank Ocean.
In the Doomsday Heist, players must save the world in a series of missions that feature stealing Delorean knock-offs that can fly and shoot missiles, stopping government potlucks from being attacked by murderous armies, and attempting to prevent World War III by boarding massive submarines off the coast of San Andreas – but that's just the beginning.
Gone are the days of simple bank robberies! In Doomsday Heist, you're set up to perform jobs that are on a much more global scale. At launch, GTA V felt pretty grounded, but it had its moments of epic blockbuster proportions and the occasional wackiness. Nearly five years later, GTA V is more along the lines of GTA: San Andreas with jetpacks, flying cars, insane missions that feel like they were created by a writer’s room of people on some wild drugs. This is by no means a bad thing, it’s incredibly fun and it feels unique and very creative.
There are some annoying caveats to The Doomsday Heist, however. You must be prepared to spend at least $1.2 million of in-game cash to even begin thinking about preparing to save the world. Players must buy a “facility” which acts as a briefing center before missions amongst other things. This was pretty annoying because I had already invested in a bunker several months ago which cost millions of dollars. It would’ve been better if I could’ve either traded my bunker in for a facility or merge the two to lower the cost, I ended up having to dish out about $20 of real money on a Shark Card microtransaction so I could afford a facility. After purchasing the facility, I only had $100K or so and that was nowhere near enough to buy any of the fancy new toys this update has to offer. Luckily, you get to go hands-on with all of them in the missions so you can at least see what they have to offer.
Aside from the financial investment, Rockstar has made The Doomsday Heist accessible for players. You no longer need four players to do a heist, you can have as few as just two so you don’t have to sync up everyone’s schedules so you can all participate in the heist. Additionally, some set-up missions can be done solo or you can pay a fee to just skip them completely, but you’d miss out on some pretty entertaining scores.
Altogether, there are three heists total and more than enough set-up missions to keep the player engaged. There does appear to be a smaller focus on dividing players up into different objectives in individual missions, like in the original heists, but it isn’t completely absent. If you’re looking for something with the same structure as the previous heists, you’ll find it in The Doomsday Heist. There are some elements that have been minimized, but the changes aren’t disappointing in any way – they’re minuscule at best and may even help shape it for the better.
This is by no means a filler update, Rockstar has gone to great lengths to create new interiors for buildings, new places to visit, a humorous narrative akin to that of a cheesy 70s spy thriller, and mechanics for specific missions and items given to you. The amount of time and money spent on this shows that Rockstar cares about what they're doing and aren't just trying to put random afterthoughts of DLC to keep player base alive and generate more revenue.
On top of the actual heists, Rockstar has added new achievements and even a radio station hosted by Frank Ocean. The station features various artists such as Ocean himself, Jay-Z, Future, and many more. The Doomsday Heist is one of the biggest, if not the biggest update the game has ever received due to all of the content that ranges from cars and missions to new radio stations which hasn't happened since the Xbox One, PS4 re-release.
If you’re wondering if it’s worth jumping back into Rockstar’s excellent crime thriller for some new heists, we can confirm that it most definitely is, even with the hefty buy-in fee (if you don't have enough funds). The missions are ridiculously over the top in the best way possible, even making us feel a bit nostalgic for some of Rockstar’s early GTA titles. There’s a handful of new gadgets to play with, like a satellite that obliterates people on the ground, the previously mentioned flying Deloreans, jetpacks, and so, so much more.
It was really nice to revisit Los Santos and explore new sectors, some of which are places that fans have been dying to see for years such as the fabled inside of Mount Chiliad. The Doomsday Heist update is the ultimate fan service for long-time Grand Theft Auto V fans and rewards players for their passion and dedication to the game for the last five years.
As someone who has been playing the game since September 17th, 2013, this update satisfied me a ton and while I expect this to be the final update to GTA V of major substance, I can’t say I am upset or left feeling like there’s any more for Rockstar to do.
