GTA 5 fans express disappointment with PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades

Take-Two Interactive launched its latest trailer for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto V remaster at Thursday’s PlayStation Showcase event, but fans are not happy. The re-release aims to provide eight-year title upgrades to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, taking advantage of the latest hardware advancements over previous consoles. GTA V continues to draw millions of people with its open-world action, but gamers have expressed concerns about the minimal changes in its next release.

Grand Theft Auto V has become an unstoppable juggernaut over its years in the market, selling over 150 million copies in August 2021. The title debuted on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2013, offering a open sand reflecting Los Angeles, among the highest rated video games in modern history. The series has also seen long-term momentum thanks to its online multiplayer component, GTA Online, with regular free updates pinning the game to the top of global video game sales for over half a decade.

GTA V is now one of the best-selling games of all time, with its upcoming re-release for PS5 and Xbox Series X expected to boost sales for months to come. The re-release, billed as “extended and improved” by developer Rockstar Games, serves as an attempt to retain its huge install base with the release of new consoles.

The latest trailer for GTA V sparked widespread backlash after it appeared at PlayStation Showcase on September 9. The trailer posted to PlayStation’s YouTube channel received over 20,000 dislikes at the time of publication, eclipsing its 13,000 likes. The same video posted to Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel also received negative reception with over 50% dislikes.

The overwhelming consensus among committed GTA V gamers presents the trailer for its similarities to the existing game, previously upgraded for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2014, and again in 2015 for PC. Fans have also raised concerns about pricing, which is expected to follow other re-releases of GTA V as a full-priced title with no upgrade path for existing players. Take-Two Interactive is also among the first video game publishers to bring PlayStation and Xbox Series X titles to $ 70.

The backlash follows a continued push against Take-Two Interactive’s Grand Theft Auto mods, regularly shutting down prominent community projects. Mods for GTA V on PC have helped keep the title going lately, including some major graphics upgrades, far surpassing Rockstar Games’ upcoming console remaster.

The popularity of GTA V and older GTA titles has spawned significant modding communities, although Take-Two Interactive regularly posts takedowns in the space. Several established GTA V creators saw themselves as the target of Rockstar Games’ parent until 2021, including popular mod sites and projects.

One of GTA San Andreas’s biggest mods, GTA Underground, also recently ceased development citing Take-Two’s “growing hostility”, with “imminent danger to our mental and financial well-being.”

Rockstar Games remains coy about changes to GTA V on PS5 and Xbox Series X | S, with its latest blog post touting a vague “range of technical and graphics improvements” and performance gains in some vehicles. The new trailer also refers to transparent character switching, an improvement of the existing solution in GTA V, a result of faster storage on SSD (Solid State Drive) in the new consoles.

GTA V is now slated to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S consoles in March 2022.

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