GTA 5 Remastered Edition: Everything we know so far

It really cannot be overstated how massively successful GTA 5 has been for Rockstar Games. Not only has the game broken previously held sales records, it has gone on to rise in popularity and bring in new players through GTA Online, but now it is about to make its way to next-gen consoles.

News of GTA 5's "Expanded and Enhanced" Edition came in hot at the start of the PS5 Reveal Event, which seemed fitting since the franchise and the PlayStation brand has been closely attached for the longest time. Instead of pure, unbridled joy, the trailer for GTA 5 was met with a lot of confusion.

While realists in the fanbase weren't expecting Rockstar to announce GTA 6 this early, the announcement wasn't exactly met with resounding approval. However, should players be excited for a next-gen remaster of their favorite open-world game for a second time? Perhaps Rockstar has more up their sleeve than they are currently letting on.

GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced Edition: Everything we know so far

Many can often forget that GTA 5, released in 2013, wasn't a PS4/Xbox One title, as it was initially released on the PS3/Xbox 360. The version of the game, although still pretty great, would pale in comparison to the one released later in a similarly remastered edition to the one we see currently in 2021.

So, with evidence of what typically constitutes a remaster for a GTA game, what can players expect from the remastered edition? Here are some key standouts:

1. Technical Upgrades
2. Performance Update (60 FPS 4K performance likely with next-gen hardware)
3. Visual Upgrade
4. New soundtrack (Radio stations for GTA 5 Story Mode)

Take-Two Interactive CEO, Strauss Zelnick, had this to say when asked to comment on the remastering of GTA 5.

"Remastering has always been a part of the strategy. We’ve done differently than the competition – we don’t just port titles over. We actually take the time to do the very best job we can to make the title different for the new release, for the new technology that we’re launching it on."

Take-Two Interactive recently put out remasters of the Mafia Trilogy, including a ground-up remake of the original Mafia game. GTA 5, contrary to a relatively old game like Mafia, is still technically pretty great and does not warrant a remake.

Key Takeaways from Rockstar's statements regarding the Expanded and Enhanced Edition

• GTA Online will receive updates that will be exclusive to the next-gen version and PC.
• Performance upgrades across the board
• More comprehensive than a simple port
• Set for release in second-half of 2021
• GTA Online available as a standalone title with the release of Expanded and Enhanced Edition
• Standalone version available for free exclusively for PS5 players for 3 months.

Whether the Remastered edition will contain new content for GTA 5's Story Mode remains to be seen and is a big topic of concern for fans of single-player games. Yet Rockstar and Take-Two have been quite vocal regarding their focus on single-player experiences, especially when it comes to Rockstar Games titles like GTA.

The appeal of the new, remastered edition seems to be banking on the fact that there are new audiences whose first console will be a PS5 or Xbox Series X, and GTA 5 would seem like the easiest purchase. Due to Rockstar's assured brand of quality, the game is likely to sell quite well on next-gen consoles.