Allow access to private network?

[Sniper]

I recently got a new computer and am installing GTA V. I had it on my old computer, but it was years ago that I actually set it up for the first time.

Windows security alert is asking what networks I want to allow GTA V to communicate with. Private, such as home or work. And the other option is public, such as airports and coffee shops.

Public was enabled by default, but private wasn't. Thought that was a little weird, but whatever. Now, do I allow it access to my private network in order to play Online? Do I need to deny access to public, or do I select both?

[ShelLuser]

This has nothing to do with GTA and more so with Windows' setup and configuration. Just set up Windows so that it has Internet access, all you need. GTA will then use that default connection as well. Private, public, etc. doesn't matter for GTA, at all.

[Sniper]

So you're claiming I can deny GTA access to my private and public networks, and still be able to play GTA Online? That seems... incorrect

[ShelLuser]

No, I'm claiming that your question has nothing to do with GTAO in particular and more so with Windows configuration. And like I said above: if you have set up a default network connection then all your games will use that default connection to access the Internet. Public, private has nothing to do with that, Windows normally won't ask about networks because you usually have 1 default only.

Public / private is only an issue for Windows itself: to determine how it should set up your firewall and what Windows services it can provide on the local network (Windows won't try to provide file shares on a public network, for obvious reasons...).

At best Windows will ask you about firewall exceptions; most games which use a network connection request such an exception to be added, for which you can simply use the default(s) provided by Windows itself.

But yes, even if you would deny access it could still work because those firewall rules (now talking about GTA V in specific) apply to incoming data and well.. unless you reconfigured your Internet router you wouldn't receive any new incoming data in the first place because the firewall on your Internet router would normally block all of that first. There is uPnP but even that has its limits, and is kinda irrelevant here.

Bottom line: accepting the defaults should be enough. Just treat GTA like any other game which requires a network connection.