5 big differences between GTA 5 Legacy and Enhanced Editions (PC)

Modified Mar 05, 2025 16:33 GMT

GTA 5 Enhanced Edition's PC has been finally released by Rockstar Games. It is supposed to be the game's definitive edition for PC players, and the developer has added many new things and gameplay improvements that differentiate it from the Legacy Edition. However, one may wonder what exactly is the difference between the newer version and the older version.

This article lists five notable GTA 5 Enhanced Edition differences from the Legacy Edition.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and only reflect the writer’s opinions. The listing is not in any order.

5 notable GTA 5 Enhanced Edition differences you will see in comparison to the Legacy Edition

1) Improved graphics

One of the major GTA 5 Enhanced Edition differences is the improved graphics (Image via Rockstar Games)

The very first difference you will notice is that the GTA 5 Enhanced Edition has better graphics than the PC Legacy version. The visuals in the new version are far better and supposedly surpass the graphics of the game's PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions.

The newest edition supports higher resolutions, aspect ratios, and frame rates than the GTA 5 Legacy version. The NPCs, traffic, as well as flora and fauna of the open world all have improved textures. Grand Theft Auto 5's PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions render better-quality grass and flowers in barren areas than the Legacy version; the PC version supposedly does the same.

2) Technical improvements

Rockstar Games has added a handful of technical improvements that the GTA 5 Enhanced update has. Most of these are GPU-related. The improvements are as follows:

Ambient occlusion
Global illumination
Ray-traced shadows and reflections
Support for AMD FSR1 and FSR3 and NVIDIA DLSS 3.

These features are currently missing from the Grand Theft Auto 5 Legacy Edition. As a result, most PC players resort to using mods to replicate their effects. Nonetheless, it is great to have them natively in the game now.

3) New vehicles and customizations

If you upgrade GTA 5 Online on PC to the Enhanced Edition, you will get to drive a new fleet of vehicles equipped with Hao’s Special Works Performance Upgrades. These vehicles are faster and better than most in the Legacy Edition.

The official Newswire announced the inclusion of the following vehicles with HSW Performance Upgrades:

Coil Cyclone II (Super)
Imponte Arbiter GT (Muscle)
Karin S95 (Sports)
Pegassi Weaponized Ignus (Super)
Pfister Astron Custom (SUV)

Additionally, you will get to upgrade some older cars with HSW Performance Upgrades. While the listed cars are already available in the Grand Theft Auto 5 Legacy Edition, they lack the upgrades and customizations.

4) Inclusion of GTA Plus

Players will also be able to subscribe to the GTA Plus membership in the game's new version; the Legacy Edition doesn't offer this option. The subscription service will give PC players additional monthly rewards and bonuses, the same as the subscribers on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

The membership will give you the following:

Access to The Vinewood Club vehicle garage.
In-game cash of $500,000.
Increased monetary values on Shark Card purchases.
One free vehicle every month.
Free access to older video game titles from Rockstar Games.

It is worth noting that The Vinewood Club is an enhanced version-exclusive property that can only be unlocked with the GTA Plus membership.

5) Support for advanced hardware

Grand Theft Auto 5 players will be able to enjoy advanced hardware features natively (Image via Rockstar Games)

The GTA 5 Enhanced Edition also supports one notable advanced hardware natively that has been missing in the Legacy Edition as well as faster loading on SSDs:

PlayStation 5’s DualSense Controller support, with adaptive triggers.
Faster loading using SSD and DirectStorage.

If you have these hardware components, you will surely notice a difference between the game's Legacy and Enhanced Editions.

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Edited by Adarsh J Kumar