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Grand Theft Auto 5: What’s New for Next Gen?

Improved draw distance, prettier graphics and GTA Online will make GTA 5 special edition irresistible.
This article is over 10 years old and may contain outdated information

GTA 5 Video: Current Gen vs Next Gen!

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Rockstar Games will bring its triumphant 2013 hit, Grand Theft Auto 5, to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC this fall. With it, an untold number of players will experience the ultimate edition of the game, complete with hours of missions to complete, a beautiful new visual makeover and of course, the full madness of Grand Theft Auto Online.

What can you expect from the next gen version of GTA 5? If yesterday’s 5 Reasons You’ll Buy It Again feature didn’t convince you, this article will.

All the downloadable GTA 5 content

Rockstar Games already confirmed that the previously released downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto 5, including Online updates, new vehicles, weapons and character customizations will be available on day one. It’s unknown if the content will already be on the disc or available as a separate download, but it’ll certainly be available at no charge.

In addition, Rockstar has plenty of content on the way, including some new undisclosed single player missions (Heists please), as well as various add-ons coming to the Online component. We’ll learn more about those in the months ahead, but it’ll be nice to have everything on the disc.

Improved Grand Theft Auto Online performance

When you hop into Grand Theft Auto Online, not only will you be able to transfer your multiplayer stats from the last gen version, but you’ll also notice improved performance.

Yes, both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 deliver fine experiences. However, GTA Online ran into noticeable problems when it first launched on October 1, last fall, and Rockstar ironed out these issues so the game runs at its full potential.

For the Xbox One, PS4 and PC releases, you can expect Online to achieve optimal performance from the start, so you won’t have to worry about connection issues or glitches. Hiccups will occur with so many people jumping online, but considering the power of the machines, it’ll put on quite a show.

Possible gameplay additions

The core gameplay of Grand Theft Auto 5 will remain intact, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Rockstar Games made necessary tweaks.

For instance, with the PlayStation 4 version, Rockstar might include a secondary steering option that works with the gyroscope built into the PlayStation 4 controller. Meanwhile, with the Kinect, there’s always the chance of shouting taunts at other players in Grand Theft Auto Online, or perhaps even interacting with the main game itself.

These are just possibilities. The general gameplay of Grand Theft Auto 5 works fine without these additions, and Rockstar knows better than to mess with a proven formula. You can expect all versions of the game to play like a dream, even in the midst of an urban nightmare. 

Superior graphics bring Los Santos and Blaine County to life

Finally, the most noticeable improvement made to the PS4, Xbox One and PC versions of Grand Theft Auto 5 will obviously be the visuals.

Rockstar Games will make every effort to improve Los Santos and Blaine County. As you can see by the comparison video above, the draw distances are much greater, which makes flying around in a hang glider or helicopter more entertaining, now that you can see further. The environments will also go through vast changes, so the terrain looks more realistic, even when you’re blasting through this scenery at high speeds in a sports car.

Finally, there’s a rumor that the new version of the game will have a faster frame rate, particularly on PC. However, Rockstar Games hasn’t confirmed that yet. Even at 30 frames per second, though, this game will move along at a smooth clip.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

With so few details released, it’s hard to say more about the special edition of Grand Theft Auto 5. One thing’s for sure, though. It’ll present a greater experience overall.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and arrives later this year for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Be sure to check out our Free Guide for complete coverage on the game!


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