In 2022, Rockstar released the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online. These ports looked better, played better, and included new content and graphical options. And now, finally, three years later, Rockstar is bringing all of this (and more) to PC players via a new free update planned to to arrive next month.
On February 20, Rockstar Games officially announced that all the “next-gen” features seen in the 2022 console ports of GTA V were finally coming to PC via a massive, free update on March 4.
This includes brand-new ray tracing options not currently available on console, as well as all the ray traced shadows and reflection options first added to PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2022. Rockstar is also adding FSR1, FSR3, and DLSS3 upscaling, as well as faster loading times via SSD and DirectStorage. GTA V on PC will support DualSense controllers and those fancy adaptive triggers too, after the update arrives in March. And yes, you’ll get new higher resolution and faster framerate options as well.
Keep in mind that this big update isn’t just making the game look better and load faster, it also adds new content to the already massive world of GTA Online, like new ways to upgrade vehicles, animals on the map, the nifty career progress feature, and improved menus. Oh, and PC players can now subscribe to GTA+, Rockstar’s subscription service that provides various bonuses and free games.
There will now be two PC ports of GTA V
Rockstar confirmed that PC players who upgrade will get a free one time character transfer option. The company is promising to update and support both versions of GTA V on PC, so people who can’t run the new version or who have lots of mods for don’t have to upgrade anytime soon.
Now, here’s the catch, because there is always a catch: if you upgrade the PC version of GTA V and transfer your GTA Online character, you won’t be able to play with people who haven’t upgraded yet.
“Please note that to maintain this support, the original version of GTA Online on PC will be a separate instance, and players who remain on that version will not be able to play in sessions together with those on the upgraded version,” explained Rockstar. “PC Players who want to play with each other will need to ensure they’re playing the same version of the game.”
Rockstar says both versions will be available to everyone on PC, even first-time buyers, so you’ll always be able to play with your friends. It just might mean you need to have two versions of the game installed depending on who you are playing with, which sounds kind of silly even if I understand why.
Regardless of that hang-up, its nice to see Rockstar Games finally getting around to updating the PC port of GTA V, even if we are likely less than a year away from the release of GTA 6. That game won’t be out on PC at launch anyway, so I guess PC players can enjoy a better version of GTA V while they wait for the inevitable port. Let’s hope it doesn’t take three years.
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