It’s been a couple of weeks since Rockstar announced that Grand Theft Auto 5 would be releasing on the PS5. GTA fans have had a lot of time to understand their emotions on the fact that GTA 5 would be releasing again on another new console without any mention of GTA 6. A lot of fans are angry and disappointed, while others are excited to continue their legacy in Los Santos.
The trailer states that GTA 5 will be expanded and enhanced. While some fans are angry, they may still be curious about what GTA 5 on the PS5 could entail. Will we get a bigger map or an extended story mode. We’ll cover these rumors and why GTA 5 is releasing on the next generation.
Why Is GTA 5 Releasing Again?
This is the question on a lot of fans’ minds. Though, we’re sure they may be saying it with a lot more anger. Either way, the question is one that deserves to be answered. It’s unlikely that Rockstar will give a reason, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate as to why it is rereleasing.
Cost of Development On GTA 6
Former Rockstar Games Producer, Darion Lowenstein gave some reasons as to why Grand Theft Auto 5 is releasing on the PS5 via Tik Tok. Keep in mind, Darion was a producer for Rockstar from 2002-2006, so his speculation is that of someone that works in the game industry and has with Rockstar themselves. Darion had this to say,
“Because I used to produce games for Rockstar, tons of people are asking me why, at the PlayStation 5 event, did we get an announcement of an updated GTA 5, and not GTA 6. Honestly, from a development standpoint, there are a couple of good reasons. I’ve made a lot of games for new consoles, it’s really hard.”
Darion went on to say, “Tech is constantly changing, and it’s really hard to make a AAA game at launch. Second, like I said before, the constantly updating a pre-existing game, making it prettier, is WAY cheaper, way easier than an all-new one. So, if I had to guess, GTA 6 just isn’t ready, and GTA 5 will provide a lot of income, and an experience everyone already knows and loves, within a year of the PS5 launching”
From this, we can assume that Rockstar may have chosen to release GTA 5 again because it will cost Rockstar less money. Think about how successful GTA Online has been. If anything, it’s one of the most desired experiences of any GTA fan. In May 2020, GTA 5 had shipped over 130 million copies. For Rockstar, not releasing GTA 5 on the PS5 may have cost them possible revenue.
The Timeline For The Release Of GTA 6 Was Pushed Back
Much like waiting for the right day to heist a bank, Rockstar may be waiting for the right time to release GTA 6. Of course, most fans believe that was this year. Considering GTA 5 is releasing again next year, it’s possible that this was a move to make sure GTA 6 would be ready.
With Covid-19, game development efficiency has decreased for many companies. Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel’s Avengers, and Ghost of Tsushima have all been delayed, and these are games that were far into their development. According to Jason Schreier, a popular (almost infamous) game journalist, GTA 6 is in early development, and with work efficiency down, the development of GTA 6 could’ve come to an abrupt halt.
That’s all speculation, though, as many other reputable GTA community members such as Yan2295 believe the game is much further along than early development. It would make sense for Rockstar to change course to release GTA 5 of the PS5, but the question is if they would have enough time to port the game with an expansion.
GTA Fans Are Angry
A lot of fans are upset, like Trevor Philips seeing a hipster angry. ‘A lot’ may be an understatement. Looking at the trailer for the Grand Theft Auto 5 on PS5, you’ll see the like to dislike ratio is almost 50/50. Even the comment section is riddled with memes about Rockstar milking the game for all it’s worth.
Rich Tech dude, Elon Musk took to Twitter days after the announcement to tweet this picture, firing shots at Rockstar Games.
He’s saying what a lot of the GTA community is thinking: Rockstar is milking the crap out of this game. Everyone that has this train of thought isn’t wrong. With the port to PS5, GTA 5 will have spanned across three whole generations, 7+ years.
Rumors About GTA 5 Expanded And Enhanced
On Rockstar’s Newswire, they explain what visual enhancements will be coming to GTA 5.
“The new generation versions of GTAV will feature a range of technical improvements, visual upgrades and performance enhancements to take full advantage of the latest hardware, making the game more beautiful and more responsive than ever.”
The enhancements are to be expected, considering the game is 7 years old, but we’ll have to wait till the game comes out to see if the visual improvements will be better than the visual mods that the community has made. The thing fans find most curious is the expanded part.
GTA 5 Expanded Liberty City Rumor
Rockstar doesn’t say what will be coming in the expanded version of GTA 5, but we can still speculate. We know in the second half of 2021, Rockstar will be releasing a standalone GTA Online. This has started rumors of GTA Online being treated as its own entity, separate from GTA 5. It’s possible the expansion for GTA Online won’t affect GTA 5. We already know that GTA 5 is barely, if ever, influenced by GTA Online, but what if the expanded part is a new city.
A Reddit user theorized that the GTA Online (standalone) might include Liberty City. Would this make you more excited to play GTA Online on the new consoles? It’s true that if Rockstar wants fans to rebuy this game, possibly for the third time, they’re going to need to have something that makes it fresh. A new bank to heist won’t be enough for most fans.
What do you want in GTA 5 for the newer generations? Would a new casino and more vehicles be enough to get you to play it again? Or, would it take a map expansion to get you excited about the game?