GTA 5 — or Grand Theft Auto 5 — is one of the most popular games ever created by developer Rockstar Games. The game, released nearly a decade ago in 2013, has sold a staggering 160 million copies worldwide. While Rockstar focused on other popular titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online during the years that followed, the developers also worked to add support for current generation consoles – and the game is set to hit Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5.
Right off the bat, it’s important to note that the new enhanced versions of GTA 5 and GTA Online are essentially visual upgrades for the latest game consoles. This means that players who have been to Los Santos on their PS4 or Xbox One are unlikely to see any new Story Mode content. However, whether you’re picking up GTA 5 for the first time or planning on replaying it on your current-gen console, it looks like it’s going to be a whole new experience in terms of visuals and design on consoles.
Enhanced version of GTA 5 features HDR and ray tracing on current generation consoles
Photo credit: Rockstar Games
In the original GTA 5 title, players play as three criminals – Franklin Clinton, Michael De Santa and Trevor Philips. The game’s Story Mode features the adventures (and misadventures) of these three protagonists as their paths cross throughout the game. Rockstar Games had already hinted at the visual improvements coming to the game, mentioning locations like Blaine County and the metropolis of Los Santos.
GTA 5, GTA Online PS5 Xbox Series S/X price revealed in India
With the remastered version of the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X games, players will be able to enjoy new graphics modes with up to 4K resolution, frame rate up to 60 frames per second, improved texture quality, HDR options and ray tracing, according to Rockstar. In addition to these graphical updates, the new versions of GTA 5 and GTA Online will also take advantage of faster loading rates, as well as features such as 3D audio and platform-specific features such as advanced haptic feedback on PlayStation’s DualSense controllers.
With that said, here’s everything you need to know about GTA 5 and GTA Online before they hit PS5 and Xbox Series S/X next week.
GTA 5, GTA Online release date
GTA 5 and GTA Online will arrive on March 15th for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. The digital version of the games will be available on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store on the same day, while Rockstar recently revealed that both games are available for pre-order and pre-load on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X consoles.
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GTA 5 download size
Enhanced and improved versions of GTA 5 and GTA Online for current generation consoles are expected to occupy 94.29GB of storage space on Xbox Series S/X, while another Twitter user reveals that the upcoming title occupies 86.83 GB of storage space on the PlayStation 5.
Rockstar Games has made improvements to anti-aliasing and motion blur in the enhanced version of GTA 5
Photo credit: Rockstar Games
Price GTA 5, GTA Online PS5
The GTA 5 PS5 version costs Rs. 2,799 ($39.99 / GBP 34.99 / AUD 59.95) and this purchase will include Story Mode and GTA Online. However, PS5 players will be able to pick up the game at an introductory price of Rs. 700 ($9.99 / GBP 8.75 / AUD 14.99) on the PlayStation Store – a 75 per cent discount – until June 14th. More importantly, players don’t need to own an older version of the game to take advantage of the initial discount.
Earlier this week, Rockstar Games revealed that GTA Online is currently free for PS5 owners to pre-load via the PlayStation Store through June 14th. This gives PS5 owners the ability to play the game’s online component for three months at no extra cost. After June 14th, GTA will cost Rs. 1,399 ($19.99 / GBP 17.99 / AUD 30.95), according to the publisher.
Price GTA 5, GTA Online Xbox Series S/X
Unlike PS5 users, who have a 75% discount on GTA 5, Xbox Series S/X owners can enjoy a 50% discount on the game until June 14th, for Rs. 1,399 ($19.99 / GBP 17.49 / AUD 29.97). After that, the game will cost Rs. 2,799 ($39.99 / GBP 34.99 / AUD 59.95). Players who want to purchase GTA Online for Xbox Series S/X will have to pay Rs. 700 ($9.99 / GBP 8.99 / AUD 15.47), right away – there’s no three-month freebie for owners of Microsoft’s current generation consoles.
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GTA 5, GTA Online gameplay
As this is a visual overhaul of the popular 2013 GTA 5 title, players shouldn’t expect to see any new gameplay content added to Story Mode. As for the graphics, Rockstar explains that players will have access to three graphical modes in the game. The first is called Fidelity mode, which the editor says is tuned for the highest visual quality (read 4K resolution) at 30fps. This mode enables ray tracing support on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Meanwhile, Xbox Series S users will get enhanced 4K resolution.
Players can also choose a performance mode that will feature upscaled 4K resolution on PS5 and Xbox Series X and 1080p resolution on Xbox Series S at 60fps on all consoles. Meanwhile, a third graphics preset will be available for PS5 and Xbox Series X owners – Performance RT – which is a hybrid of Fidelity and Performance, with ray-tracing-enhanced 4K resolution at 60fps, according to Rockstar.
Players can expect to see better traffic variety and lighting quality in shadows
Photo credit: Rockstar Games
According to Rockstar, players can look forward to faster load times, increased population and vegetation density, along with better traffic variety, shadow lighting quality, water reflections, and other game elements. The publisher also made improvements to anti-aliasing, motion blur, and added new highly detailed effects for collisions, fires, explosions, and more.
In GTA Online, Rockstar says players will be able to skip the prologue of GTA 5 Story Mode before entering GTA Online, granting them access to GTA$ in-game currency so they can start their Biker, Executive, Nightclub Owner or Gunrunner businesses. The upcoming GTA Online tweaked and tweaked for the latest consoles will also feature Hao’s Special Works auto shop to update vehicles designed for the next-gen consoles, according to the company.
GTA Online will also introduce a Career Builder feature that will allow new players, or those looking to start fresh on current generation consoles, granting them GTA$4,000,000 to select essential items including business properties, vehicles and weapons. GTA Online will also allow players to enter Free Mode, Heists, Races, Adversary Modes and the latest featured weekly events, from the new main front-end menu, according to Rockstar Games.
GTA 5, GTA Online data migration
Players looking to transfer their PS4 and Xbox One Story Mode progress and their current GTA Online characters and progression to current generation PS5 and Xbox Series S/X consoles can take advantage of a one-time migration, according to Rockstar Games.
GTA Online players simply need to load the game onto PS5 or Xbox Series S/X to migrate their data
Photo credit: Rockstar Games
Players must start playing GTA 5 on their console and then go to Game Pause menu tab and choose the button load saved game option, to upload a save to the Rockstar Games Social Club. This save will remain available for download for 90 days.
GTA 5 and GTA Online launch for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on March 15th
Players with a Rockstar Games Social Club who want to transfer characters and progression from GTA Online simply need to load the game onto PS5 or Xbox Series S/X on March 15th, which will migrate their characters, GTA$ (in-game currency), progression, stats, vehicles, properties, weapons, clothing, and player-created jobs. It’s worth noting that GTA$ can only be transferred between platforms in the same family — such as PS4 to PS5 — according to Rockstar Games.
GTA 5, GTA Online trailer
In September 2021, Rockstar released a trailer for the upcoming improved and improved version of GTA 5 and GTA Online. The 70-second video showcases some of the new detailed graphics users can expect to see in the game, including wildlife shots, HDR-enhanced sunsets, and incredibly detailed crashes and damage from vehicle collisions.
The trailer also showcases much of the game’s content that has been enhanced with ray tracing support, along with high-octane cutscenes and rash driving, as well as seamless character switching. Meanwhile, the last 20 seconds of the trailer also show visual improvements to GTA Online’s graphics, with a character walking up to a window at a party, to watch a jet flying outside being blown up in the sky.
GTA 5 Review, GTA Online
Reviews for the enhanced and enhanced versions of GTA 5 and GTA Online are currently awaited, but the original GTA 5 title has received “universal acclaim” from critics – on the rating aggregation service Metacritic, GTA 5 currently sits at a Metascore of 97 based on a total of 108 critical reviews for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is currently listed as the fifth highest rated game of all time, on the site.