GTA Online quite clearly falls into the former category. You absolutely can acquire that money without paying another cent, therefore people who purchase Shark Cards aren't given an unfair advantage. All the cards do is allow players to give their time value.
What do you value more? Time, or money? Would you rather play for 10 hours or pay 10 bucks for the same outcome? Shark Cards give you that option. They are paid DLC items which, when bought, provide your in-game bank account with a monetary boost depending on what tier you bought in to.
Cash is king in this town. Solve your money problem and help get what you want across Los Santos and Blaine County with the occasional purchase of cash packs for Grand Theft Auto Online. All purchased cash is automatically deposited into your character's bank account. Spend wisely, cash therapy is fleeting.
Buying Shark Cards is entirely optional and Rockstar pays close attention to balancing prices in a way that the game supports both Shark Card buyers and non-buyers alike. However, they are a great way of getting that cash boost you need to buy what you want.
There are several tiers of Shark Cards, each providing different amounts of cash. Logically, the more expensive the Card, the more in-game GTA $ you'll receive. These can range from a few dollars all the way to being more expensive than a full-price AAA game.
In keeping with the "Shark" branding, each tier is named after a real, existing species of shark. The size ratios between the actual animals is reflected in the price and value differences of the cards. Starting on the shallow end, we have the pretty insignificant Red Shark, which nets you GTA $100,000. Next on the ladder is the Tiger Shark with double the value but less than double the price, making it a better deal.
The next on the list is the Bull Shark with a bit of a leap, granting players half a million dollars in GTA Online — and the differences only get bigger from here. The Great White is worth $GTA 1,250,000!.
The two largest cards will chomp your wallet for sure, but you won't be hurting for cash in the game either. The Whale Shark comes in at $GTA 3.5 million, eclipsed only by the Megalodon, named after the massive pre-historic shark species, which grants players $GTA 8 million in game.
Initially, these cash cards were called Maze Bank Cards, since the in-game accounts are all managed by the eponymous fictional bank. The two largest tiers, the Whale and the Megalodon weren't part of the initial selection of cards, but were rather added later along with DLCs that contained more expensive content.
In the sea, there are big fish and there are little fish. The same is true on land. But which are you? Isn't it the time to define yourself? At Shark, we have different Shark credit cards based on your level of insecurity. Let your credit card color define you.
Why They Make Sense
Despite some players criticizing the use of Shark Cards, they have become an integral part of GTA Online. You know those DLC updates the game keeps getting every now and again, adding tons of content to the game which took time and resources to develop? You know, the ones everyone can play without having to pay literally a cent?
Yeah, those exist because Shark Cards? Rockstar's next game? Oh yeah, that too is financed by Shark Cards. Let's do some math, shall we? GTA Online's Shark Cards alone made over $500 million worth of profit for Take-Two Interactive.
GTA V's total budget? $265 million.
Yeah. Shark Cards alone made almost twice as much as it cost to make the game. So if you find yourself enjoying the new content with which GTA Online is being update, or if you're anticipating Rockstar's next game, think twice before dissing the Shark Cash Cards.
Plus, Rockstar has put the cards on sale more than once, with a twist. Instead of decreasing their price, Rockstar held limited time promotions during which paying the same amount of real cash got you significantly more in-game money.
You can purchase Shark Cash Cards at Amazon or via the Rockstar Warehouse.
