WhenGrand Theft Auto 5came out on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, itearned 7 Guinness World Recordsin just 24 hours. The last mainline installment in Rockstar Games’Grand Theft Autoseries became the fastest entertainment product to gross $1 billion. Five years later,Grand Theft Auto 5became the most profitable entertainment product of all time.
Eight years after it first launched,Grand Theft Auto 5continues to be popular and successful, often sighted on the best-selling monthly lists of Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox stores. Rockstar Games seems to have no intention of stopping anytime soon, with the PS5 remaster ofGrand Theft Auto 5andGrand Theft Onlinelaunching in March of 2022. However, unlike its PS3/360 era launch,Grand Theft Auto 5PS5 launch has many reasons to fall under the radar.
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The Strong February/March 2021 Lineup and how it Impacts Grand Theft Auto 5 on PS5
There is an overwhelming number ofhighly anticipated PS5 gameslaunching in the first quarter of 2022.Grand Theft Auto 5’s PS3/360 September release window was surprisingly free of big AAA releases. WhileGTA’s immense popularity would have primarily affected other games, vice versa was still possible to some extent. A busy holiday window could have benefittedGrand Theft Auto 5in more ways than one, especially with the availability of a wide array of deals and bundles. A February release window is a different story altogether. Right now,Grand Theft Auto 5PS5 launch finds itself in a polar opposite situation without the advantages of the holiday season and a lineup of highly anticipated game releases that feel next-gen and offer hundreds of hours of content.
FromSoftware’s upcoming action RPGElden Ringwill finally release in January and should keep hardcore fans busy for a couple of weeks, if not more. Although FromSofware games are niche,Elden Ringmay be more accessible to newcomersthanks to its open-ended design and seamless multiplayer integration. The next big PS5 exclusive,Horizon Forbidden West, is also set to launch in February of 2022 after suffering numerous delays this year. Being an open-world,Horizon Forbidden Westshould also keep players busy for weeks.
WhileElden Ringand HorizonForbidden Westare two behemoths of early 2021, other big games could take the spotlight away fromGrand Theft Auto 5as well.Dying Light 2was scheduled to release in the December of 2021 though a recent delay has pushed it out of the 2021 window to February of 2022. WhileDying Light 2delay may be a good decisionfor the game’s polishing and optimization, its February launch may hinder its sales and the sales of the other titles launching in close proximity.
All the aforementioned games will be releasing in January and February of 2021 with a lot more to come in March. Games likeTiny Tina’s WonderlandsandSaints Rowpose a more direct threat toGrand Theft Auto 5with the possibility of release dates clashing.Saints Rowhas been underGrand Theft Auto’s shadow for quite a long time now, even though the franchise has garnered its own fan base over the years. There are plenty of things thatSaints Rowdoes better thanGrand Theft Autoand the latest entry being a reboot, should overhaul few things for the better. Most importantly, Saints Row is an entirely new game built to take advantage of the next-gen features of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, which is where most ofGrand Theft Auto 5’s issues lie.
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Grand Theft Auto 5 May Not Feel Next-Gen in 2022
What truly setGrand Theft Auto 5apart in 2013 was its ability to astonish players at every turn with its grand sense of scale and the freedom that came along with it. The draw distances made the landscape surrounding the metropolis of Los Santos feel almost life-like. The sheer amount of details in every character’s clothes and movements broughtGrand Theft Auto 5’s world to life in a unique yet believable way that raised the visual bar for AAA games significantly. It was undoubtedly one of thebest-looking games on PS3and Xbox 360. In 2013,Grand Theft Auto 5was the start of a new era of video games with photo-realistic visuals and a dynamic open world. Fast forward to 2022, and it seems that won’t be the case.
Open-world games, both big and small, have significantly risen in the last decade, with Rockstar’s ownRed Dead Redemption 2setting the bar unprecedently high in terms of visuals and immersion. Despite aging well,Grand Theft Auto 5is still a video game that came out eight years ago. Sadly, the PS5 remastered version doesn’t try its best of changing that as far as visuals and gameplay overhauls are concerned. The recentGrand Theft Auto 5PS5 trailer backlashwas also primarily due to the lack of significant improvements in the upcoming remastered version. Highlighting stuff like “seamless character switching” seems absurd in a generation where instant loading and fast travel in open-world games are to be the norm.
The biggest strength ofGrand Theft Auto 5on PS3 and Xbox 360 seems to be its biggest weakness on Grand Theft Auto on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. The lack of transparency from Rockstar isn’t a good sign either. Essential details like the pricing and performance remain a mystery, leading to more skepticism. It also doesn’t help that the studio hasn’t shown keen interest in providing a next-gen upgrade forRed Dead Redemption 2orremasterGrand Theft Auto 4andRed Dead Redemption, both of which are more in demand than aGrand Theft Auto 5remaster.
Grand Theft Auto 5is one of the best video games ever made, and its availability on current-gen consoles should be welcoming for newcomers. However, veteranGrand Theft Autofanswho were expecting a bit more from the next-gen version of an eight years old game are bound to be disappointed, which would ultimately affect the upcoming launch.
Grand Theft Auto 5is available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, with a March 2022 release planned for PS5.
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