GTA 5 backwards compatibility confirmed on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X

Players who bought GTA 5 at launch on their previous generation consoles can breathe a sigh of relief as Rockstar Games has confirmed that GTA 5 will be backwards compatible on the next-generation PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.

Rockstar Games backward compatible titles on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S: https://t.co/RyzIUiK0DL pic.twitter.com/RyIN6CuJKw

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 6, 2020

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PS5 and Xbox Series S/X: GTA 5 backwards compatibility details

Rockstar has updated its newswire to inform its player base on what this means for them:

"If you own a disc-based copy of any backward compatible game, you'll be able to insert that disc directly into your new PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X (excludes PlayStation 5 Digital Edition and Xbox Series S consoles)."

It added:

"Meanwhile, digital game owners will have instant access to download any compatible Rockstar Games titles they already have tied to their PlayStation Network or Xbox Live accounts."

Rockstar also confirmed that PS4 save files will transition over to the PS5 if players choose to do so, picking up right where they left off.

"And as an added bonus, all PlayStation Plus members will continue to get GTA $1,000,000 (deposited into their in-game Maze Bank account within 72 hours of log-in) each month they play the PlayStation 4 version of GTA Online, up until the launch of the new standalone version of GTA Online on PlayStation 5 in 2021."

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What this GTA 5 move means for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X owners

For starters, a lot of savings that can go towards buying newer games, as no one likes paying for the same thing twice. Rockstar has already drawn dissent from the community and has been called greedy for extracting money from buyers by re-releasing the same game for full price on multiple platforms, making this a welcome move.

Image via u/vasekgamescz | Reddit

This will not be the only improvement, as the upgraded horsepower on the new consoles brings a variety of improvements to the game's quality of life. With the revolutionary new SSD's on the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X machines, players will see a significant improvement to load times and general in-game stability.

Here's a comparison of GTA 5 loading times on a hard drive vs an SSD:

While the details of more improvements in the GTA 5 re-release for next-generation consoles aren't in the public domain yet, it is confirmed that:

"There will also be a new standalone version of GTA Online coming in the second half of 2021, which will be available for free exclusively for PlayStation 5 players during the first three months."