The wait is almost over, as Rockstar has finally - finally! - confirmed a release date for GTA V PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game was delayed fairly significantly, after initial expectations of a release at the end of 2021. But now, at long last, we have confirmation that release is imminent.
So we've put together a handy little guide to tell you everything you need to know about GTA V on Xbox Series X|S and PS5. New features, how it differs from its predecessors, and anything else to help you decide whether or not this is worth shelling out more of your hard-earned gold coins for.
GTA V Release Date On Xbox Series X|S And PS5
Let's start with the fundamentals. GTA V is slated for release on March 15th, on both Xbox and PlayStation. Crucially though, this is the release of the digital edition. If you want a physical copy, you're likely going to be waiting until April for that privilege.
You will also be able to pre-order and pre-load the game as soon as March 8th, ready to go when the game is officially launched a week later. So if you've never experienced the world of GTA V before, this would seem an opportune moment to dive in. But this game is eight years old. So it's a good bet that a huge number of potential customers already own at least one version of it. Given that this will be the third generation of consoles that the game has landed on, what's new that might lure veterans of the game to revisit it once more?
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New Features
Rockstar has already thrown a few tidbits our way. But don't expect vast amounts of new content. This is, ultimately, the same core gaming experience that players would have enjoyed almost a decade ago. The vast majority of changes come in the form of performance and graphical enhancements.
So what do those improvements look like, we hear you asking? Well, improved loading times will be immediately notable for anyone who has sat waiting for the game to load before. And because of the superior processing power of the new consoles, players will see more populated environments, and a wider variety of traffic. There will even be "increased vegetation density" which is a way of saying more bushes. And who doesn't feel that one of the glaring weaknesses of the original game was it's lack of diverse flora?
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Graphically, the game will have improved lighting, better water reflections, and greater detail, for example in fires and explosions. Expect this to be the most detailed and beautiful version of the game yet.
In terms of performance, the game will come with three different graphics settings. Fidelity Mode will have the game looking its best, while running at aorund 30fps. Performance Mode will deliver at about 60fps, offering the most responsive experience possible. And finally, on Series X and PS5, there is Performance RT, which combines the two other modes to provide upscaled 4K resolution with ray tracing, at around 60fps.
Expect GTA V to exploit the new audio features on both consoles. And the DualSense controller will offer dynamic resistance (for example when squeezing the trigger on a gun) as well as direcitonal damage, weather effects, and sensations of explosions and rough roads.
Anything Else Worth Knowing?
There are a lot of improvements being promised by Rockstar, to make GTA V as appealing as possible. And there will be a generation of gamers who may not ahve played ot before. For those players, it won't be a difficult decision to buy this game.
But for anyone who has played it previously, or is still playing it on an older console, the decision won't be quite so cut and dried. And that's even more true if you mainly play GTA Online these days.
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For the first time, GTA Online will be available as a standalone game, rather than requiring players to own GTA V before they can access it. So if you're really only interested in the multiplayer experience, you won't have to buy a game you're not going to play. Additionally, if you are a PS5 owner, then for the first three months after launch, GTA Online will be available to buy and keep for free. Which gives you plenty of reason to give it a try.