GTA 5 on PC Gets Huge Update, But There’s a Catch

A major new update for GTA 5 and GTA Online is coming to PC, but it comes with a pretty notable catch. There are few games that have the legs that Grand Theft Auto V does. The game came out on Xbox 360 and PS3 back in 2013 before being ported to Xbox One and PS4 in 2014 with PC following not long after. In the years since its release, it has been a total juggernaut that has accumulated over 210 million copies sold across all platforms and raked in billions upon billions of dollars. For being the second best selling game behind Minecraft, it’s allowed Rockstar to really take its time with GTA 6 as it still has heaps of money flowing in.

In 2022, Rockstar Games brought GTA 5 over to Xbox Series X|S and PS5 with a standalone version of GTA Online and massive visual upgrades. The game now supported ray-tracing, 60FPS, boasted better load times, introduced new content, and much more. It was a welcomed upgrade after GTA Online began to feel rough around the edges on last-gen consoles in recent years. However, PC players were notably left out of these upgrades. While the PC version naturally performed better than the console versions initially, it was lacking some of these specific fancy upgrades introduced in 2022. Thankfully, that will come to an end very soon.

GTA 5 for PC Gets Huge Overhaul, But Some Players Will Be Left Out

Rockstar Games has confirmed that GTA 5 is receiving the Xbox Series X|S and PS5 upgrades for free on PC on March 4th. Players who choose to do this upgrade will essentially get a new, separate version of the game and will be able to migrate their story mode progress and GTA Online character over. Those who do not meet the spec requirements for this new version of the game (or enjoy using something like FiveM) can stay on the older version of GTA 5, but they will not be able to play with players on the new, updated version of the game.

That may disappoint some players who enjoy playing GTA 5 with their friends, but don’t have a PC capable of running the new version very well. Part of this is suspected to be due to the new anti-cheat that is being implemented in this version of GTA 5. You can view the specs and a list of new features coming to GTA 5 on PC below.

• Enjoy a range of new vehicles and upgrades at Hao’s Special Works (HSW) that push automotive performance to new heights, and test your driving skills with Premium Test Rides, HSW Races, and HSW Time Trials.
• Encounter Ambient Animals all across Southern San Andreas and take pictures of them to participate in the daily Wildlife Photography Challenge for new rewards.
• PC players can sign up for GTA+ Membership to get special benefits in the upgraded version of GTA Online and beyond.
• Track your criminal movements across all of GTA Online’s updates with the Career Progress feature as you build your empire.
• Navigate a refreshed Landing Page as your starting destination to get straight into the action. Plus, take advantage of an improved introductory flow for newer players with a GTA$4,000,000 windfall to buy property, vehicles, and other items when you start off as an Executive, Gunrunner, Nightclub Owner, or Biker in the Career Builder.

Both versions of GTA 5 will continue to be updated with new content updates, do fans don’t have to worry about being left behind in terms of new content. Of course, we have no idea how long GTA Online plans to run for, though. GTA 6 is expected to release this year and it’s highly likely that Rockstar will be focusing its online efforts there once it releases. We may only get 2 or 3 more big updates for GTA 5 before Rockstar pivots over to GTA 6 completely.