Many rumors have been circulating regarding Rockstar's open-world adventure title Grand Theft Auto 5. The game released in 2013 and will soon be available on three different generations of consoles. Fans have been wondering if the rumored Grand Theft Auto 6 will release on next-gen consoles, or if Grand Theft Auto 5 will receive any enhancements from PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S ports.
Windows Central Senior Editor Jez Corden suggested on Twitter that GTA 5 will not benefit from Xbox Series X capabilities, and will be locked at 30 FPS. This applies to the current version of GTA 5 using backwards compatibility, but Rockstar has previously announced enhanced standalone GTA 5 and GTA Online ports are coming to next-gen consoles in 2021. The standalone GTA Online port is expected to release in the second half of 2021 and be a PS5 timed-exclusive, with PlayStation Plus subscribers able to play the game free by claiming it in the first three months.
The current-gen version will be available on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, but may not benefit from many of the next-gen capabilities. While the Xbox Series X will not improve frame rate, it will improve loading times alongside every game on Xbox Series X. It seems players may have to wait until 2021 to experience the full next-gen GTA 5 enhancements on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Rumors suggest that the enhanced version of GTA 5 will retail at full price with no free upgrade. However, a leak from French Retailer Micromania suggests that PS4 users will receive a free upgrade to the GTA 5 PS5 version. Unlike Microsoft, Sony does not directly offer free upgrades, but developers have offered free upgrades for games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Dirt 5, Horizon Forbidden West, and more. Most cross-gen games are offering free upgrades, so Rockstar will likely offer the free upgrade at risk of receiving backlash from fans.
GTA 5 will be available on next-gen consoles using backwards compatibility, but according to the rumors will not look any different. However, PC players are using mods to preview what a next-gen enhanced version may look like. A recent GTA 5 mod utilizes ray-tracing and ambient occlusion to make the graphics much better. The mod renders the environment more realistic, and if the next-gen enhanced version can utilize Xbox Series X ray-tracing, it will be a massive improvement upon the 30 FPS cap it will supposedly have on launch day.
GTA 5 is one of the most played game of all-time, so many are watching the game's transition to next-gen closely. Combined with the anticipation of GTA 6, there are high expectations for Rockstar heading into 2021.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. PS5 and Xbox Series X versions are in development.
