Official status reports confirm that GTA Online and Rockstar servers are currently operational as of today, December 23, 2025. If you are still seeing the “Services Unavailable” or “Files required could not be downloaded” error, you have been IP blocked (shadow-banned).
This is an automatic security block by Rockstar that usually happens if you failed a login too many times, had a mod menu open, or just had a bad connection drop.
When will your connection be back?
If you do nothing, the block lasts for exactly 24 to 48 hours.
How to play RIGHT NOW (Bypass the wait)
Since the servers aren’t actually down, you can bypass the block immediately by changing your internet “signature.”
Method 1: The “Mobile Hotspot” Test (Guaranteed to work)
Disconnect your PC/Console from your home Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
Turn on the Hotspot on your phone (using mobile data, not Wi-Fi).
Connect your PC/Console to your phone’s Hotspot.
Launch the game.
Result: It will connect instantly because your phone has a different IP address than your router.
Once you are in the Main Menu, you can plug your Ethernet cable back in or switch back to Wi-Fi.
Method 2: Power Cycle Router
If you have a dynamic IP (most people do):
Unplug your internet router for 10 full minutes.
Plug it back in.
This might assign you a new IP address, clearing the block.
Recent Issues
Past outages in December 2025 were short-lived, typically lasting 30-45 minutes, often due to high player volumes or updates like the mansions event. Downdetector shows no spikes in problems today, though isolated complaints persist from earlier in the month.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you’re still facing connection problems:
Verify your platform’s status on support.rockstargames.com/servicestatus.
Restart the Rockstar Games Launcher, clear cache, and check your internet.
Past fixes include DNS changes or port forwarding, similar to Epic errors from your prior query.
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