The first game announced for the PS5 during Sony's showcase on June 11th, 2020 was an enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto 5. Curiously, no footage from the upcoming port appeared; Rockstar Games made the announcement using the PS4 version. However, the company is promising some big modifications, though they did not go into specifics.
GTA: Online will be free for PlayStation Plus subscribers for three months after release, after which a full purchase will still be required. Given that the game came two generations ago in 2013, Rockstar will need to make some big improvements to justify yet another purchase of the classic. For many, however, an excuse to play the stellar single-player campaign is all they need to jump back in.
10 Improved Frame Rate
While the PS4 version was stunning upon release, looking at the frame rate these days is rough. Considering it is a last-generation title, it seems almost inexcusable. If the game does not at least run at a locked thirty frames per second, the entire package will be a huge disappointment. With two generations between the original release, it is not too much to ask for a smooth sixty frames per second.
9 More Single-Player Content
Going through the main story missions alone takes anywhere between twenty-five and thirty-five hours. Throwing in some bonus content will easily extend the runtime to forty or fifty hours. It has been more than half a decade since the PS4 and Xbox One releases, however, and one would expect the team to further beef up the solo content in the time since. Hopefully, the developer still has a working relationship with the actors and they add dialogue and cutscenes to the campaign in addition to missions.
8 No Load Times
All this talk of the Solid State Drive has people excited at the prospect of no load times. If they really want to show this as a true advancement of the next generation, what better way to showcase it than by having a direct comparison between a current-generation title and next-gen version. Jumping into the game on current consoles takes forever. Booting up the game and immediately jumping into Los Santos would be fantastic.
7 More Radio Content
The fictional radio stations that appear in-game have been a fixture of the franchise. GTA V features the largest soundtrack and talk radio selection yet, and the PS4 version added even more content. Hopefully additional listening material comes to the PS5 version. New DJs, songs, and talk show content would make those long drives through the city and desert all the sweeter. A Spotify station to organically integrate a custom soundtrack into the game would be especially intriguing.
6 Higher Player Count
The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions supported up to sixteen players on GTA Online, while the next releases had up to thirty on one map. For the next generation, an increased player count would go along way towards spicing up the action in Los Santos. Would it be unrealistic to ask for one hundred players on a map? With such a huge number, even a battle royale mode is a possibility.
5 New Parts Of The Map
Los Santos is so huge, players can explore for years and still find small areas and details they previously overlooked. Despite this, adding even more content would go a long way towards showing consumers how much of an upgrade the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions are.
Maybe they'll even add a whole new map. It probably will not happen, but letting players run around Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto IV would be a treat.
4 Cross-Play
Cross-Play is the big thing most multiplayer titles strive for these days. A bigger connected online community usually amounts to a healthier multiplayer environment. Modern Warfare's success, for example, can partly be attributed to its cross-play features. Exploring Los Santos with friends on Xbox and PC would let people who haven't been able to do so for years finally connect. Competitive play may prove troublesome because of a mouse's precision, but cooperative missions would only benefit.
3 Improved Aiming
The shooting in Rockstar Games titles has never been particularly tight, save for 2012's Max Payne 3. After more than ten years utilizing the same shooting mechanics, the game is in need of an aiming overhaul. It does not have to be redone completely, but it needs to feel better. For a game where most of the action involves shooting, one should be able to reliably play without depending on auto-aim.
2 More GTA Online Story Missions
GTA Online includes a jaw-dropping amount of content, yet much of it is locked behind buying property or simply contributing to a player's criminal empire. Hopefully the studio takes a cue from Red Dead Online and includes more story missions with a plot. Missions are added periodically to the game already, but they do not connect in any significant way. Some updates have certainly been a step in the right direction, however.
1 Graphics Like Red Dead Redemption 2
It is difficult to believe GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 utilize the same engine. The environments and character models are such a leap forward in the 2018 western that it makes GTA V look worse in retrospect. Here's hoping the developer takes all those advancements from the RAGE engine into account when updating GTA V for the next generation. With the PS5 hardware, it could even look better than RDR2 and run smoother.