Grand Theft Auto 5 continues to be the most successful entertainment product of all time, no hyperbole. Even though it’s been 7+ year since its initial release, it continues to top sales charts month after month. It’s so popular that it’s almost synonymous with gaming among non-gamers, and Rockstar Games has certainly enjoyed that success.

Still, despite all the general positivity around the franchise, the past few months have been a mixed bag. It’s been really weird for both Rockstar Games and the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and it’s really uncertain where all of this is heading. It would seem that this could come to a head when GTA 5: Expanded and Enhanced releases, but at the same time, it could also easily disappear into nothing.

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GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced Gets A Lot of Hate

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Back in September, the GTA 5: Expanded and Enhanced re-release of the title was shown off in a new trailer. It makes sense, as given its popularity, having native PS5 and Xbox Series X versions will only continue that. The problem is, no one could tell any real difference. It didn’t, at the time, seem to be enhanced or expanded; it seems to be a pure re-release and not a remaster or remake.

This GTA 5 trailer got tons of hate online, as beyond the aforementioned reason, many believe that this is one reason GTA 6 still isn’t out yet. That’s not impossible, but it is not certain either. Either way, seeing GTA 5 get hate is odd from a wide point of view of the franchise, but understandable in terms of public reception to the trailer.

GTA Online Going Standalone

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With its PS5 and Xbox Series X release, GTA Online will become playable without GTA 5, and that makes sense given it’s a huge reason that the game was so successful. It’ll be interesting to see how this impacts sales going forward, though PlayStation 5 players will get it for free for a limited time, and overall, the reaction to this news seems rather neutral. That, in and of itself, is the best GTA news of the past few months.

GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition Was a Guaranteed Success That Failed

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In November, the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition was released. Because the franchise was so beloved, the remasters of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas were highly anticipated. Many were cautious because little to no gameplay was shown, but many relied on Rockstar’s pedigree. It seemed like a guaranteed success, but then come launch, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Edition had super low review scores, which were among the lowest of the year.

Rockstar Games Announces GTA 6 in the Midst of All of This

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So, the past few months have been odd with either neutral or negative receptions to major events. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the GTA 5 and GTA Online re-releases. But, among all of this, Rockstar Games confirmed Grand Theft Auto 6, stating the “development on the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway.” While many have believed this and have hoped for this, the timing seems so odd. It’s almost as if Rockstar is attempting to slap a band-aid on the past few months.

After all, this kind of tactic is not uncommon. Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6 super early, presumably to draw attention away from the negativity that Fallout 76 would get. Based on the wording, it doesn’t seem that GTA 6 is early in development, though it’s impossible to say for sure. But it does seem to be a distraction tactic from past releases…and hopefully just past releases. With GTA 5: Enhanced and Expanded on the horizon, hopefully, this announcement is not a band-aid for its release.

If it’s not a “band-aid” situation and hopefully it’s not, fans may have a much better time with the franchise in 2023 and/or 2024 than it did 2021. After all, some are speculating that a fall 2023 release date will be announced alongside a first look at GTA 6 this year, though that could easily fall into 2024. For now, it remains to be seen what the next few months look like.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is in development.

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