GTA 5 2022, enhanced but not expanded

GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced will launch on March 15. Rockstar Games had originally announced the game in June 2020 and set a release date of November 2021. The delays soon kicked in, and a lot went down, causing the game to get its current release date.

Fans were obviously upset and were quick to voice their opinions. However, the Contract DLC was introduced, and gamers were happy to see Dr. Dre make music.

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What Rockstar said about GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced?

A Newswire post released on February 4 did spill the beans about the new version, vaguely stating:

"Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S features new graphics modes with up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, texture and draw distance upgrades, HDR options, and ray-tracing, as well as offering the technical advancements of the latest console generation with faster loading times, immersive 3D audio, platform-specific features like advanced haptic feedback, and much more."

It also spoke about the ability to transfer characters to newer gen consoles and revealed that GTA Online would now be a separate entity altogether.

Another Newswire post released on March 4 dove deeper and got into specifics, as gamers now had details. It said:

"Choose from one of three detailed new graphics settings to tailor your gameplay experience for what matters most to you. Fidelity Mode is tuned for the highest visual quality and targets 30 FPS. In this mode, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X support native 4K resolution with ray tracing enabled, while the Xbox Series S supports upscaled 4K resolution. Performance Mode is tuned for the most responsive gameplay experience and targets 60 FPS. In this mode, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X support upscaled 4K resolution, while the Xbox Series S supports a resolution of 1080p. In addition, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have Performance RT mode, a hybrid of the Fidelity and Performance modes supporting upscaled 4K resolution with ray tracing enabled and targeting 60 FPS."

Both posts were very informative, but Rockstar refrained from using the phrase 'Expanded and Enhanced' in both posts.

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Where is the expansion in Expanded and Enhanced?

After going through the entire Newswire post on March 4, it became pretty clear that the game is just going to feature QOL updates, graphical improvements, and Hao's Special Works.

Rockstar led with the phrase Expanded and Enhanced from the start and then recently pulled back. They even corrected a journalist and said the game would just be called GTA 5.

As disappointing as the Definitive Trilogy was, Expanded and Enhanced in its current form may turn out to be much more of the same. This should have just been a silent upgrade to the next-gen consoles.

Many studios do this, and most of the time, the upgrade is free. The pricing of E&E, however, has not been disclosed yet.

Some gamers may have decoded as to why all of this happened. They think the Cayo Perico and Contract DLC were supposed to be a part of GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced initially. The constant demands for GTA 6 and the failure of the Definitive Trilogy might have been reasons to push these DLCs to Online sooner than planned. They were meant to calm gamers down and get them back to playing the game.

If those DLCs were a part of Expanded and Enhanced, the expansion would have been justified. With just a few graphical upgrades, 3D Audio, and Hao's Special Works, this is anything but expanded.

As already mentioned, the pricing is yet to be revealed, and that is an aspect that could hurt Rockstar even more if not handled right.