Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the best selling games of all time, so it was hardly surprising to learn that Rockstar is bringing it to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Over the last several months, though, numerous other games have been confirmed as cross-gen titles and most of them can be bought for current consoles and then upgraded to their next-gen counterparts for free.
Microsoft has pushed this feature heavily for the Xbox Series X. And while Sony itself isn't offering something similar, developers and other publishers are offering free next-gen upgrades themselves for PS5 games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Marvel's Avengers, and even exclusives like Horizon Forbidden West.
So, is Rockstar going to offer free upgrades to the millions of people that already bought Grand Theft Auto 5 on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One? According to French retailer Micromania, it apparently will, at least for PlayStation owners. The retailer's website has a list of titles that can be upgraded from PS4 to PS5 (not all of them, though, as Yakuza: Like a Dragon is absent from the list) and GTA 5 is among them.
This was spotted and shared on Reddit yesterday but, since then, Micromania has removed any mention of GTA 5 from the list, but MP1st was able to grab a screenshot for posterity's sake. Now this begs the question: did Micromania accidentally leak this information ahead of an official announcement from Rockstar or was it simply a mistake and removed it to prevent spreading false information?
Considering how nearly every other cross-gen game does include an option for a free next-gen upgrade, it arguably wouldn't be a good look for Rockstar to not offer one for GTA 5 players. However, judging by some of the comments in the Reddit thread, some fans are skeptical and fully expect Rockstar to sell the game at full price regardless.
We're already seeing similar examples of this. The upcoming Spider-Man: Miles Morales' Ultimate Edition on PS5 will come bundled with an enhanced version of the original PS4 Spider-Man game and both Sony and Insomniac have stated that it will not be distributed separately or be offered for free to those who bought it on PS4.
In the meantime, fans are still hungry for some sort of news regarding Grand Theft Auto 6, to the point where one of GTA 5's voice actors has had to defend Rockstar from fan complaints. With the next-gen GTA 5 re-release being the priority at the moment, it's very likely that GTA 6 is still a long way away from being announced, let alone released.
Grand Theft Auto 5 will release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in the second half of 2021. It's currently available on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Source: Micromania, MP1st, Reddit