That has not been my experience. Any online game is going to be its own thing, dependent on the choices of the game company. Inherently, Steam does not require

That has not been my experience. Any online game is going to be its own thing, dependent on the choices of the game company. Inherently, Steam does not require all the steps you're describing. Sidenote, but my experience with the Rockstar launcher has been absolutely atrocious, to the point that I just avoid rockstar at this point even though I'd otherwise be interested because I've been burned so many times. That's a Rockstar issue, not a Steam issue.