Grand Theft Auto 5, along with its wildly popular multiplayer mode Grand Theft Auto Online, has firmly established itself as one of the most groundbreaking and defining titles within the history of gaming. The title's unprecedented lifespan and success has seen it remain relevant within gaming discourse for close to a decade, and has shown no sign of slowing down.

A predictable byproduct of this high level of success has seen Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online re-released for several different generations of consoles. WIth the game set for an upcoming release for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, fans can expect a multitude of changes and improvements to come with it.

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The Success of Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online

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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 this is a title the game has since lost.

However, an unpredictable level of success was additionally present within the game's online mode, simply dubbed as Grand Theft Auto Online, which has grown to rival various other highly popular online games. Making hundreds of millions of dollars in microtransactions every year, the success of GTA Online has thrust it to the relative forefront of Rockstar's focus.

With how lucrative Grand Theft Auto 5 and its online mode have 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. It is this constant adaptation across consoles that has maintained the relevance and accessibility of Grand Theft Auto Online, and has ultimately aided in the retention of its player base quite significantly.

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. Like the last generational re-release of Grand Theft Auto 5, this will bring with it new features and updates across all content. However, should fans not want to purchase the story mode of Grand Theft Auto 5 on new consoles, they can instead just buy a standalone version of Grand Theft Auto Online, containing exciting new content and improvements.

Graphical Improvements

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This new port of Grand Theft Auto Online 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 Performance 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 Online 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 will possess a fresh version of GTA 5's achievements/trophies for players to unlock, with the transfer of older save data automatically unlocking many of them should the prerequisites be met.

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New Content

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As well as graphical improvements, there is a slew of new content available with this latest port. 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.

PS5 owners are also in luck, with this fresh port of GTA Online being free for the first three months of its launch on PlayStation, with PS Plus members also being able to claim a whopping $1,000,000 from the in-game store every month. With new cars and other content around the corner for GTA Online, it is clear that the multiplayer sandbox isn't fading out any time soon.

Grand Theft Auto Online is available now for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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