5 things that GTA 5’s next-gen ports offer (and 5 it doesn’t)

Rockstar Games has revealed some features that fans can expect from GTA 5's upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X|S ports. Yet, one must wonder about the lack of content that seems unlikely to be included upon its release date of March 15, 2022. For the most part, the game seems to be about graphical improvements and minor optimizations.

There is always the possibility that the game includes more than what was advertised thus far, but one shouldn't hold their breath on that. Gamers should treat everything they've seen thus far as everything they're going to get when the game comes out.

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Five features that GTA 5's next-gen ports offer

5) The option to get GTA Online by itself or with GTA 5 in a bundle

Before the upcoming next-gen ports, GTA 5 was mandatory to purchase to play GTA Online. That is no longer the case for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, as owners of those consoles can now get the standalone version of GTA Online.

They still have the option to get both games by purchasing GTA 5, but it's completely optional now. Thus, they can save money if they only want the online multiplayer aspect.

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4) Platform-specific features

GTA 5 will seek to implement some platform-specific features, such as:

• Haptic Feedback (PS5)
• Dynamic Resistance (PS5)
• Tempest 3D positional audio (PS5)
• Spatial Sound (Xbox Series X|S)

These small features will make the PS5 version noticeably different from the Xbox Series X|S. Not only that, but both versions will feel more immersive than their last-gen counterparts.

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3) Faster loading times and other optimizations

This port should feel smooth to play (Image via Rockstar Games)

One of the main draws of buying a port is to experience the numerous optimizations added to it that were missing years ago. Some of the improvements that Rockstar Games promised are:

"...faster loading times, increased population and traffic variety, increased vegetation density, improved lighting quality across shadows, water reflections, and other elements. Plus improved anti-aliasing, motion-blur, highly detailed new explosions, fire, and much more."

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2) The ability to transfer one's old save data over

GTA 5 players don't have to start over if they don't want to, for they have the ability to transfer their old saves over to this port. Thus, any player with 100% completion doesn't have to worry about doing it again. Transferring GTA Online saves will also be possible.

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1) Three different graphical modes

This port will look better than its past-gen versions (Image via Rockstar Games)

The bulk of what Rockstar Games has promised thus far can be summarized as three different graphical modes. Those modes are:

• Fidelity
• Performance
• Performance RT

Fidelity Mode is for gamers who want the best graphics (4K resolution and ray tracing). By comparison, Performance Mode is designed with 60 FPS at all times. Performance RT is similar, at it also aims for 60 FPS while having better graphics than Performance Mode.

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Five features that GTA 5's next-gen ports don't offer (at least according to the announcements)

5) New missions

Murder Mystery is an example of something introduced in the Enhanced Edition (Image via Rockstar Games)

New missions were introduced in GTA 5's Enhanced Edition, but nothing of the sort was promised for the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X|S ports. Gamers weren't expecting a whole new storyline or anything, yet they didn't even get some small side missions to keep them distracted.

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4) New characters

Isaac was a new, albeit minor character introduced in the Enhanced Edition (Image via Rockstar Games)

On a similar note, no new characters have been announced for this GTA 5 port. There weren't many introduced in the last port for the game; the lack of any announcement here indicates that there isn't much new content. Players who have beaten the game before seem unlikely to discover anything new.

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3) New game modes

Director Mode is an example of a new game mode introduced in the Enhanced Edition (Image via Rockstar Games)

One of the more interesting aspects of the Enhanced Edition was the introduction of Director Mode. However, Rockstar Games has announced no new game modes in this upcoming port. All players seem to be getting are improved graphics and some minor optimizations.

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2) Official VR support

Rockstar Games has made no announcement for this game to have official VR support. The only Grand Theft Auto game that will have it in the near future is GTA San Andreas for the Oculus Quest 2, which might not appeal to GTA 5 fans.

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1) Free upgrade

One thing many Grand Theft Auto fans were hoping for was a free upgrade to these next-gen ports if they already owned the game. Unfortunately for them, there is no free upgrade or discount for players who already own it.

Instead, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S include discounts for all players (75% and 50%, respectively) that will vanish by June 14, 2022.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.