The absolute blockbuster, Grand Theft Auto V, after almost nine years from the official debut on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is ready to land again on consoles, this time on PlayStation 5 and the new Xbox Series, with a series of improvements techniques that promise to make us experience Los Santos like never before.
However, also considering the very busy period of releases and that great Elden Ring video game that is stealing the show, it is legitimate to ask: is there still room for GTA V, after three releases? Let’s find out together.
I choose Los Santos!
This is what Rockstar Games hopes, clearly, intent on making the online sector of GTA V dominate for many years. Undoubtedly, there have been numerous downturns during the long stay on the market but, despite this, the adventure of Franklin, Trevor and Michael has never completely disappeared: first of all, as also reiterated at the beginning, due to the multiple editions released over time, then for the exceptional online sector, and finally for the RP mode, by the total work of the players and exploded thanks to the support of streamers and platforms such as Twitch and YouTube.
There is another reason, however, that did not allow GTA V to disappear and retire: it has remained, by far, the best urban and modern open world. There are many, many titles that have tried an approach to the GTA, but no one has ever really succeeded, either for a city that is not brilliant like Los Santos, or for a driving model that is not up to par, or for an NPC and police management out of step with Rockstar Games.
GTA V, therefore, crazy as it may sound, is still top of the class, and thanks to some interesting additions to the upcoming edition for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series it could even open the doors to a new generation of users.
In some ways, in fact, the long post published by Rockstar Games on the official website sounds like a strong declaration of intent: in all likelihood, the online component will not abandon the current supporters for a long time to come. (and, we add, it may not even after the launch of the next GTA VI).
Let’s face it openly: once a structure has been consolidated, filled with content and embraced a frighteningly large audience, it is certainly not easy to unplug and start from scratch. Honestly, given the direction the market has taken in recent years, it doesn’t even make sense to do so.
From Warzone, Sea of Thieves to the exceptional Rainbow Six Siege, how many titles can be considered immortal, of the clients now moored in the players’ dashboards? More and more. Even Gran Turismo 7 looks like PlayStation’s first convinced GAAS, and more are to come. Someone will fail, it is inevitable, but the direction is clear to all: search at all costs for the infinite product, that game to let rest on the market while in the rear we work on the new standard to be set.
As far as we are concerned, with the arrival of the remaster for the new consoles and the publication of a standalone client that separates the main campaign from the online component, it is taking an even more marked step in this direction.
For that, don’t laugh at GTA V when you see it appear alongside first-tier games; do not laugh for the umpteenth edition of Skyrim. Regardless of the GAAS model, like it or not, some games deserve this permanence on the market, they deserve to be continuously handed down to new generations, to be important.
Polished and hospitable
Rockstar Games, among other things, is certainly not the latest addition and is already very ready to welcome new players with open arms with a completely revised tutorial designed to immediately offer an exceptional overview of the contents. Apparently, you will land in Los Santos even with your pockets full, ready to get in the game and team up with other users.
A very smart move that avoids the inevitable collapse of rhythm that usually accompanies the initial stages of an online sector, in general. Also because, believe us, there are really a lot of things to do and see; an initial boost is just what GTA Online needed.
Moreover, with the due differences, the same discourse also applies to the single-player experience. Let’s try to think together: how many players will never have completed the campaign? How many, over the years, have bought GTA V, completed the tutorial, and immediately joined friends on the servers? Well, in our opinion, a lot of them, and here the revival of the campaign also makes a lot of sense, especially if, as promised by Rockstar Games, there will also be numerous and substantial graphics updates.
On the official website, in fact, different rendering modes are mentioned that will allow the game to reach a native 4K resolution complete with ray tracing, to settle the experience on 60 frames per second, or to focus on a middle ground between the two aforementioned modes, managing both 60FPS and ray tracing, a bit like Insomniac Games did with Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
There is still room for GTA V
So yes, there is still room for GTA V, but a lot. The approach to the narration, the extreme characterization of the characters, the amount of content of the online sector and the incredible management of NPCs and the police; crazy features, of extreme quality and that affirm GTA V as the model to be chased, the teacher with a lot to teach.
A unique, boundless game, which despite some steps backward towards GTA IV and its expansions, especially in terms of physics and driving model, remains of an unattainable solidity for all the other development houses. While waiting for GTA VI and while we fantasize about the possible influences that Red Dead Redemption II will have on the project, the invitation, therefore, is to move to Los Santos and to stay there for many more years, perhaps even after the arrival of GTA VI.