GTA 5 is back online: Rockstar restores service after SEVEN HOURS of maintenance Read more

If you were struggling to play GTA 5 online this morning, don't worry, there wasn't a problem with your console or Wi-Fi connection.

The service went offline at 1:00am EDT (6:00am BST) for almost seven hours as its developers completed maintenance work.  

The downtime affected all platforms, including Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and 4, Windows PC and the Rockstar Social Club. 

This only affected online game play, however, and offline features were still working. 

In a tweet, developer Rockstar said: 'Grand Theft Auto Online will be undergoing maintenance this Wednesday, April 27 for approximately [five] hours.' 

It then followed this up six hours and 45 minutes later with: 'Today’s scheduled maintenance is now complete. Thanks for your patience.'

It is rare for a developer to take a game offline for such a long period of time so long after the game's release. 

Rockstar did not reveal what the maintenance work has fixed, but customers have been complaining lately of lags in the game, especially on the Xbox.

Despite the work being scheduled, and Rockstar announcing the plans on Twitter and its blog, a number of people ranted on Twitter about the service being down.

One disgruntled user tweeted: 'I barely bought the PS4 yesterday and it took forever for GTA V to load and now the servers for the games are down smh god hates me.'

One of the most successful game franchises of all time, Grand Theft Auto has also been one of the most controversial. 

Players adopt the character of a big-city criminal, navigating a fictional landscape and making progress by stealing cars and other vehicles while evading the police.

First released in 1997, it has since had at least ten incarnations, the most recent being Grand Theft Auto V.

The game has attracted controversy for its violence and sexist attitudes, and has often benefited from the huge publicity this generates. 

Visit to : gta 5