When the orbital cannon was released, many GTA Online players were frustrated. Rockstar made it worse when the Oppressor Mk II was deployed, signifying the end of the traditional "boots on the ground" approach of GTA Online's early days where players had to grind, and drive actual vehicles instead of sci-fi hovercraft. The company also seemed to regret releasing the Oppressors, as evident in one of Pavel's speeches to the player in the Cayo Perico Heist Update: "Have you ever tried shooting the missiles at the people on the flying bikes?"

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Fortunately, there is still enough time for Rockstar to address the situation and the game has one of the most active communities and it's still growing. Plenty of vehicles need to be nerfed and there is a large demand for solo heists. Now, which of these vehicles give an unfair advantage?

Updated on November 12, 2021, by Jeff Drake: Articles like this make the reader question, "why aren't these vehicles banned yet?" The answer is, well, because it's GTA Online. We expect over-the-top options and violence with this series. This isn't The Sims, it's GTA. In this game overpowered and outlandish equals more fun for the players. With that being stated, the original list only scratched the surface of OP vehicles in GTA Online. This update will add additional vehicles to help round out the list and make it a bit more comprehensive. On a side note, this game is starting to feel like the M.A.S.K. cartoon from the 1980s with all the transforming vehicles.

15 Ruiner 2000

The Knight Rider inspired Ruiner2000 in GTA Online

Inspired by KITT from the television series Knight Rider, this car is one of the deadliest weaponized vehicles in GTA Online. This sports car comes with a ton of useful abilities. First, this car can perform a vertical jump to clear obstacles in the road.

Second, the Ruiner 2000 can deploy a parachute. This can save you from falling from a great height, but it also allows you to slow down quicker than just using the brakes. Lastly, the Ruiner 2000 comes with homing missiles. These homing missiles are the best homing missiles in the game - they are fast and incredibly maneuverable. Oh yeah, the Ruiner 200 is quite good at shrugging off damage too (for a sports car).

14 Hydra

The Hydra fighter jet sitting on a runway in GTA Online

The Hydra is a jet fighter with the ability to take off and land vertically (VTOL). There are two other fighter jets, called the Lazer and Pyro. All three have their strengths and weaknesses, but the Hydra's higher ceiling, top speed, and the ability to hover in place make it the superior choice.

The advantages given by the Hydra's ability to hover cannot be overstated. Using this ability will make many missions beyond easy. This VTOL ability also helps with crash landings by allowing you to slow your descent.

13 Kosatka

The Kosatka is a nuclear powered submarine in GTA Online

The Kosatka is a nuclear powered submarine. Yeah. This ranks as one of the most overpowered vehicles in any open-world game. Besides being a vehicle, it can also operate as a moving base-of-operations - one that lets you fast-travel around the map (at a cost).

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The primary reason the Kosatka made this list is its ability to fire guided missiles. Once fired, you can manually control where the missile goes via its on-board camera. The missile is limited to operating within a set radius of the Kosatka, but has unlimited flight time within this radius. Making the Kosatka remain surfaced until the missile detonates would help make this vehicle a little less overpowered.

12 Akula

The Akula is a stealth attack helicopter in GTA Online

The Akula is a stealth attack helicopter. There are two attack helicopters in the game, the Akula and the Annihilator (both of which are on this list), but the Akula is superior to the Annihilator in nearly every way. For starters, the Akula is much more resistant to damage than the Annihilator.

The Akula also offers bomb bays, that the Annihilator does not possess. Most importantly, the Akula is much more nimble in the air - this, along with the better armor, increases the Akula's survivability even more. Being a stealth craft, it doesn't show up on the minimap. This gives a huge advantage when ambushing a target.

11 Toreador

The Toreador is an amphibious car in GTA Online

The Toreador is a sports car that can transform into a submarine to allow for amphibious landing. Now, when you drive your car off that cliff into the ocean you can simply navigate it to a nearby beach and get back on the road like nothing happened. This vehicle is also handy when dealing with a Kosatka.

There is another amphibious car, the Stromberg. However, the Toreador is superior for its comparable price tag. The Toreador comes equipped with a boost, and can take a little more damage than the Stromberg. When the Toreador became available many players immediately sold their Stromberg and purchased a Toreador instead.

10 Oppressor Mk II

oppressor mk2 in gta online

Nothing ruins a great day the way losing valuable cargo thanks to one of these things flying in from out of nowhere does. The Oppressor Mk II doesn't have any place in this game and even though Rockstar nerfed it, the game still feels like the most overpowered vehicle in GTA Online.

Hitting one of these in flight is like trying to swat a fly with a hammer. This small bike is the perfect representation of griefing, unless the devs revert back to the old mechanics or remove the homing missile upgrade. This hoverbike destroyed GTA Online.

9 Deluxo

deluxo in gta online

How can you possibly counter Oppressors? Rockstar responded by deploying another griefing machine called the Deluxo, a buffed DeLorean capable of launching homing missiles with surgical precision: fire and forget, with a 99 percent chance of killing intended target.

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Unlike the Oppressor, this hovercraft handles like a dream and with the perfect pilot, can make it a K/D warrior machine.

8 Khanjali

khanjali in gta online

The TM-02 Khanjali is better than the Rhino in every aspect: it has an alien aesthetic, a chad cannon, a slightly accurate railgun, and a 4-person capacity that can guarantee a trail of blood and bruised egos, but what happens if said vehicle ends up in the wrong hands?

A gunrunning shipment can easily be destroyed by overzealous Khanjali players ($2,000 per shipment and griefers travel across the map just because they want to ruin somebody's day). It doesn't help that this vehicle can be spawned whenever, wherever by just calling the mechanic like the Oppressor.

7 Annihilator Stealth

annihilator stealth in gta online

The so-called "stealth" version of the Annihilator is just a reskin, with twice the price. Stealth mode is basically just passive mode while being off the radar, while pilots and passengers' ability to fire weapons are deactivated, making it a totally useless mechanic.

Just when players were excited to conduct stealth raids, Rockstar ruined the fun. However, the Annihilator Stealth is dangerous for its armament: infinite missile pods and "Ruiner 2000" type homing missiles that can spell doom for delivery vehicles and grinders.

6 Vigilante

vigilante in gta online

A Batmobile with awful steering is what Vigilante is, but it can be one of the best vehicles to evade cops. The way it rams into vehicles like a knife on butter is what makes it a bit unfair for grinders if they stumble upon a griefer in a Vigilante.

It's game over unless the grinder has spare sticky bombs (it only takes one to destroy a Vigilante) but due to the "bad sport" mechanic where players are punished for destroying personal vehicles, it's not a totally good thing.

5 Turreted Limo

turreted limo in gta online

As CEO, players can call in one of these for just $20,000 and start blasting anything that moves. It can also be bought for $1.6 million from Warstock. But is it effective? With an experienced team: a good driver, three sticky bomb-throwers, and an accurate minigun handler, the turreted Limo can be used just about anywhere.

Setups and contact missions can be finished in under five minutes because most NPCs don't usually bring explosives during these missions. Against human players however, it can be trickier, but the minigun can mow down anyone, no sweat.

4 Weaponized Tampa

weaponized tampa in gta online

The Weaponized Tampa is Kuruma's cousin, on steroids. There's a plethora of customization available such as mortars and dual-mounted remote-controlled miniguns.

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The armor upgrade is essential, but the armor plating is a nice bonus that can block small arms fire and is also surprisingly cheap ($5,000 in-game). The custom skins make it look like something from Death Race or Mad Max.

3 SAM Battery APC

rocket apc in gta online

Having one of these during a contact/VIP Job is like having god by your side but if up against a K/D Warrior in this, it's best to just retreat unless you have good windshield sniping skills.

Unlike most of the precision-guided vehicles on GTA Online, the APC doesn't need lock-on. It's a spray and pray missile barrage; it can wipe out any land vehicles with just a push of a button.

2 Hunter

hunter helicopter in gta online

Nostalgia aside, the Hunter remains extremely durable and effective against anything, flying or walking. With a good pilot, it can't be shot down. With an extra gunner, it can cause mass destruction. And its strengths can make it one of the most annoying K/D Warrior vehicles.

When used right, it can be an effective delivery escort vehicle. Judging by its price, only players who have money to burn can enjoy this luxury helicopter (mostly the bored, destructive ones) while the grinders pay the ultimate price because of this.

1 Avenger

avenger in gta online

Avenger is a modded Osprey, and it packs almost the same heat as an AC-130. In GTA Online, there are a handful of missions that the Avenger's potential can be realized.

In Freemode, it can be a great escort vehicle - but in the wrong hands, it can cause unwarranted damage and possibly level Los Santos.

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