Luckily, Rockstar Games has since published its own statement regarding the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 on next-gen consoles, giving players a far better idea of what’s going to be on offer on the new consoles, including the standalone release of GTA Online. While there’s still plenty of questions that need to be answered between now and the launch of the game in the second half of 2021, here’s what we can expect from Grand Theft Auto 5 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

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What to Expect From Grand Theft Auto 5

One of the biggest takeaways from the announcement was the fact that both GTA 5 and GTA Online would be coming to next-gen consoles, meaning players can expect more than just a quick port of the online portion to push microtransactions like shark cards. “The adventures of Michael, Franklin and Trevor are coming to a new generation of consoles,” said Rockstar Games in its opening sentence. The next-gen versions of Grand Theft Auto 5 will offer players the complete GTA 5 single-player experience, including a range of improvements to the game’s graphics and performance over the PS4 and Xbox One.

Rockstar hasn’t provided any sort of technical specifics outside of confirming that the new versions of Grand Theft Auto 5 is going to look and play better than it does on current consoles. It’s likely there’ll be support for 4K graphics and 60FPS + gameplay, as well as ray-tracing and other new features such as cross-play as seen in games like Destiny 2 and Fortnite; however, there’s been no official word so far. Rockstar Games also hasn’t elaborated on the “Expanded and Enhanced” statement at the end of the reveal trailer, so it’s unclear whether the single-player portion of the game will be expanded with new content or only GTA Online.

What to Expect From Grand Theft Auto Online

When it comes to Grand Theft Auto 5’s online portion, Rockstar Games confirmed “the journey through the ever-evolving, shared world of GTA Online will continue on to the new generation.” GTA Online will be available to play on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Rockstar Games will support the new versions with more new updates than we’ve previously seen, as well as yet to be announced content that will be exclusive to the new consoles and PC - PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 players won’t be able to access the content unless they upgrade to the new hardware.

The next big change players can expect to see from GTA Online on PS5 and Xbox Series X is the fact that it will be getting its own standalone release on the new consoles, which is presumably where the new exclusive content will be available. Based on the way Rockstar Games worded the announcement, it appears that players may be able to access the PS4 and Xbox One versions of GTA 5 and GTA Online through backward compatibility; however, the next-gen versions will be released as separate “products,” which means that the next-gen version of GTA Online will be its own game and available for free.

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PlayStation Plus Bonuses for GTA Online

PlayStation Plus subscribers will be happy to know that Sony and Rockstar Games have worked out a few extra perks that won’t be available on Xbox. The first bonus is the ability to earn free in-game money every month between now and the game’s launch in the second half of 2021. By signing into GTA Online once a month, PS Plus subscribers will receive an extra $1 million in-game cash. The second big bonus will see a standalone version of GTA Online released for free to all PlayStation 5 owners (PlayStation Plus subscription required to play online) three months before it arrives on other platforms.

Seeing the Rockstar Games logo during a next-generation gameplay event initially led viewers to believe the developer was about to reveal the highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6. While it’s certainly disappointing that we’re not getting GTA 6 anytime soon, the decision to re-release GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X makes sense. GTA Online is still incredibly successful after seven years and Rockstar isn’t going to risk players moving onto to new games once the new hardware releases. It’s safe to say that both GTA Online and Red Dead Online still have years of life left in them and will be supported on next-gen consoles for years to come.

Grand Theft Auto 5 releases on PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2021.

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