According to Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S will be released on November 11, 2021. GTA 5 is one of the most popular video games of all time, so fans have been waiting for its current-gen update with bated breath.
The fact that Grand Theft Auto 5 was the first game announced at Sony’s PS5 launch, rather than any of its own first-party titles, demonstrates how popular the game is. GTA 5 was released during the PS3 and Xbox 360 console generations, and as of 2020, it was already grossing millions of dollars every year. It’s the second best-selling video game of all time (behind only Minecraft), and it’s still going strong after nearly eight years on the market.
According to the official Rockstar Games website, the upgraded version of Grand Theft Auto 5 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S will be available on November 11. GTA Online will also be available as a standalone game, with PS5 owners having three months of free-play when it launches.
It’s also uncertain what GTA 5’s current-gen upgrades will entail. On the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the game would undoubtedly have improved graphics and loading times, but Rockstar has yet to detail or show how the latest versions of the game relate to older ones.
It’s still uncertain if those who already own the PS4 and Xbox One editions of the title can have free access to the current-gen versions. Customers are usually informed ahead of time that they can have free access to both previous and current-gen versions of a game, but Rockstar has yet to announce this.
Rockstar may be anticipating millions of dollars in extra revenue for GTA 5, so gamers will have to pay again for the new generational updates despite paying the maximum price for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions in 2014.
GTA 5 is already better on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S hardware, due to the SSDs that reduce the game’s previously long load times. Mods for the PC version of GTA 5 also greatly improved the graphics’ consistency and could easily be combined with official Rockstar tools on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Versions of the game optimized for current-gen hardware could look and play much better. November is still one of the busiest months in the gaming calendar, but some of the more recent releases will be vying for attention with a juggernaut that debuted in 2013.
