Grand Theft Auto V

With a plethora of visual enhancements and quality of life improvements for GTA V and GTA Online leading the charge (60fps performance, ray-traced shadows and significantly faster loading times chief among them), there’s never been a better, easier or more affordable time to visit San Andreas on current-gen consoles, whether it’s your first trip or if you’ve been away for years.

With this third release on PS5 and Xbox Series, Grand Theft Auto V has never looked so good on consoles. 4K resolution, framerate at 60 frames per second, Ray-Tracing... This port effectively uses the technical capacities of next-gen consoles to offer the most pleasant rendering possible, in particular with greatly reduced loading times. Beyond that, GTA V remains what is, namely an incredible open-world filled with activities, but which dates from 2013 and which therefore shows the number of years on certain points such as facial animations. But more than the single-player mode, it's above all GTA Online that stands out as a winner from this arrival on PS5 and Xbox Series with the addition of a tutorial for new players, exclusive content and all the game's graphic and technical improvements. based. A port which is therefore intended for players of the online mode rather than those who finished the adventure of Michael, Franklin and Trevor years ago, for lack of major novelties.

It's somewhat unfair to compare the next-gen console versions to a PC as my video card costs more than both consoles combined. That said, what Rockstar has pulled off here is as close to a PC running at max settings, but with a slightly lower draw distance and less feature-rich anti-aliasing. On the other hand, if you are coming from the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox One, the difference is staggering. Most of the time a next-gen native version of a game is just a higher-resolution minimal-effort wallet hug, but here it's clear that the developers are looking to deliver the best version of their most successful game ever, ahead of finally getting another proper installment in the series.

A true enhanced version of a game tha is almost 10 years old. A fantastic edition for those few who still haven’t played this installment but not a great leap for those who have been roaming the street of Los Santos since 2013.

Honestly, I would say yes if you have not played GTA V for a while or not at all, as this is the definitive version to play. Those of you who are currently playing on the Xbox One version I find it harder to recommend unless you are really into 4K fidelity. There are really not enough additions in the story mode to make it a worthwhile purchase. This is compounded even more so by the fact that GTA online can now be bought separately and that is really where all of the new additions are added and is probably the greater value for money.

GTA V on Xbox Series X gives very little reason for Xbox One players to upgrade (for a fee). A version that easily could have been free is left behind a paywall to justify technical improvements that fall short of the mark.

Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online for PS5 and Xbox Series X are still phenomenal games that one could easily sink hundreds of hours into, but there's no getting around that they are fundamentally the same experiences as before, only with better graphics and performance. Someone that hasn't played GTA 5 or GTA Online in a long time will get more mileage out of this new version, but those that have played both regularly since launch may be better off waiting for the eventual Grand Theft Auto 6.

The Xbox Series X|S and PS5 versions of Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online are good, this isn't a bad game, it's just not as impressive as one may hope. It has some flashy new graphical effects, a menu redesign, and the 60FPS mode is remarkable, but it's all marginal. For newcomers with little to no experience with the game, this is going to be an absolute treat. For veterans, this may ring a bit hollow. It's worth picking up if you want to keep up with GTA Online and have the best possible version, but otherwise, there are no enhancements that demand you replay the story once more.

What was once the standard-bearer for open-worlds has been overshadowed in the near decade since its first release. Grand Theft Auto V still holds up really well, but playing it now does feel like stepping into a time machine, such is the way that real-world and video game development has changed in the years since.