Grand Theft Auto 5 has firmly established itself as one of the most industry defining titles in recent history. The title's unprecedented lifespan and roaring success has seen it remain relevant within gaming discourse for close to a decade, and it has shown no sign of slowing down.
A predictable byproduct of this success has seen Grand Theft Auto 5 seeing re-releases for different generations of video game consoles. With the game set to release for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, fans can expect a multitude of changes and improvements
The Success of Grand Theft Auto 5
Originally launching for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in September 2013, Grand Theft Auto 5 redefined established expectations for the GTA franchise. The scale and level of detail present within the game helped Grand Theft Auto 5 become the best-selling title of all time in 2017, although the game has since lost this title to the massively popular sandbox game Minecraft.
With how lucrative the game proven to be from the outset, it was only logical for Rockstar to re-release the title on newer generations of console, with the massive audience that the game retained showing a clear desire for updated versions. Grand Theft Auto 5 was subsequently released for the PS4 and Xbox One, bringing with it a multitude of changes to the story and online modes to satiate long-term fans.
With this formula proving to be a critical success, it is no wonder that Rockstar will release Grand Theft Auto 5 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on March 15. Like the last generational re-release of Grand Theft Auto 5, this will bring with it new features and updates across all content.
Changes to the Story Mode
Despite the overwhelming contemporary success of GTA Online, the story mode in Grand Theft Auto 5 is undoubtedly a major pull for many returning fans, and is an aspect of the game that has been given a lot of attention with the impending re-release for newer consoles. While the new features cover a range of changes, graphical upgrades are a prominent factor.
This new port of Grand Theft Auto 5 promises to take full advantage of the new hardware available with the latest generation of consoles. It will support 4K resolution and 60 frames-per-second, with a range of three different graphics modes for players to choose from. The first of these is Fidelity Mode, which Rockstar bills as being "tuned for the highest visual quality." Gamers who use this mode will see the game at 30 FPS as a trade-off for native 4K resolution and ray tracing ability for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, with the Series S supporting upscaled 4K resolution. Players who want to maximize performance can instead opt for Performance Mode, which sees the game run at a target of 60 FPS with upscaled 4K resolution for PS5 and Xbox Series X - the Series S running at 1080p. Finally, Rockstar offers a blend of the two aforementioned modes in the Performace RT mode that supports upscaled 4K resolution with ray tracing while targeting 60 FPS, and is sure to be the preferred choice of many.
Long-time GTA 5 players will also be happy to know that the new game will offer a one-time transfer of pre-existing save data from the PS4 and Xbox One ports of the game, meaning no hard-earned progress goes to waste. On top of this, the new edition of GTA 5 will possess a fresh batch of achievements/trophies for players to unlock, with the transfer of older save data automatically unlocking many of them should the prerequisites be met.
GTA Online Changes
GTA Online has proven to be very lucrative for Rockstar, and gets most of the attention in this new port. With its own set of performance upgrades, GTA Online has fresh content as part of the new version of the game. Capitalizing on the car culture that has helped GTA Online succeed, the new port will add Hao's Special Works within the Los Santos Car Meet. This new workshop provides players access to "elite new upgrades and exclusive modifications" for high-power vehicles, which can then be raced.
The new re-release will also see the introduction of the Career Builder to GTA Online. GTA Online's many career options can otherwise be confusing to new players, so the Career Builder allows players to quickly choose between one of the four business types: biker president, nightclub owner, executive, or gun-runner. This feature additionally allows for easier selection of the relevant weapons, properties, and vehicles for a chosen career path.
An all-new menu design has also been promised by Rockstar. It is likely this will include a more comprehensive level of options for GTA Online from the main menu itself, with the original prologue for first-time GTA Online players being scrapped to make way for a new tutorial. On top of this, players will have full access to the more than 40 official updates that GTA Online has received over the years, with many more reportedly in the works.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and will be coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on March 15.