Few games have left a greater cultural legacy than Grand Theft Auto V. Rockstar’s perennially charged triumph has sold over 150 million copies and counting as of this month. Only Minecraft has surpassed it in lifetime sales, and considering how cheaply Minecraft can be purchased, it almost feels like GTAV is truly in the lead. From PS3 and Xbox 360 to PS4 and Xbox One, and with a steady feed of PC players all the while, the saga of Michael, Trevor, and Franklin is firmly imbued in the minds of the masses. Now, we stand on the precipice of Grand Theft Auto V (and multiplayer companion Grand Theft Auto Online) leaping to PS5 and Xbox Series S/X, and on Sony’s side of the aisle, we can safely expect 4K resolution and 60FPs.
Danke, Deutschland
Although it had been rumored for some time, it wasn’t until today that these perks were confirmed via the German PlayStation blog. The November 11th re-release will see Grand Theft Auto V sparkling stronger than ever before; 4K visuals and 60FPS will feel like a revolution to PlayStation players accustomed to 1080p resolution and a locked 30FPS. Action games, especially the sorts with guns, tend to benefit greatly from a higher frame rate. And who doesn’t prefer a sharper image? It’s a win-win.
What About Xbox?
We still don’t know what the Xbox Series version of Grand Theft Auto V will look like, but considering the Series X, in particular, is a somewhat more powerful machine than the PS5, it would be odd if it doesn’t at least match the 4K resolution and 60FPS. If anything, I would anticipate an optional 1080p/120FPS mode as well, with the more budget-friendly Series S targeting 1440p and 60FPS as its main pitch. (If all of this is Greek to you, and you don’t even speak Greek, then it can be safely translated to “GTAV is going to run fabulously on every sort of shiny new console.)
Don’t Expect More Grand Theft Auto V Story Content
One thing we shouldn’t anticipate is new story content for Grand Theft Auto V, as Rockstar has clearly veered wayward of single-player add-ons in favor of a steady stream of multiplayer updates. Not only has Grand Theft Auto Online become the center of thought for the fandom, with a frankly crazy amount of content, but Sony is making sure the new players keep coming by offering a standalone GTAO to download and install for free from November through February. If you’ve snagged it by then, it’s yours forever; if you haven’t, it’s still “free” with a PlayStation Plus membership.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Online, on the other hand, is… fine, with updates like “Blood Money” keeping the multiplayer mode alive, but it’s never managed to become a cultural touchstone like Grand Theft Auto V, and a 4K 60FPS update would be unlikely to set the internet ablaze by comparison.
Are you excited to return to Los Santos all over again? Or perhaps Grand Theft Auto Online has had you pinned for years, and this is just the next big thing for your favorite pastime. Or maybe, somehow, you’re not among the 150 million players who have purchased Grand Theft Auto V, and this is all quite new to you.
There’s a good chance we won’t be seeing Grand Theft Auto VI for quite some time to come, so strap yourself in for this November 11th revamp and prepare yourself for another three or so years of Trevor spewing expletives like Ian McShane.
