'Grand Theft Auto 5' Headed For PS5, Xbox Series X: What We Know

Seven years have passed since “Grand Theft Auto V” launched on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 yet the title will see itself moving to yet another generation of consoles on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in 2021.

Why is there still no “Grand Theft Auto VI” after all this time?

Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive have clearly made a killing of the title, as evidenced by a whopping 130 million copies shipped. GTA 5, and subsequently its multiplayer arm, “Grand Theft Auto Online,” remain a moneymaker with its fanbase continuing to log on to experience the game’s numerous twists and turns.

That first trailer released last week promised an expanded and enhanced version of the game for the PS5, which no doubt resonated with its fans.

Yet the search for the arrival of its successor, the long-awaited “Grand Theft Auto VI,” remains as mysterious and shrouded in mystery as ever.

Can anyone really blame Rockstar for milking “Grand Theft Auto V” for all its worth seven years later? This is a cash cow in gaming if ever there was one. Twenty-nine years ago, Capcom did something similar when it hit the jackpot with “Street Fighter II.”

Many forget that “II” or “2” attached to the title because it was one of the games that launched the popularity of fighting games globally. Enhancements to that title where additional characters were brought on included a “Champion Edition,” “Hyper Fighting,” “Super,” Super Turbo,” etc. An actual “Street Fighter III” though didn’t arrive until 1997.

By taking “Grand Theft Auto V” to next-gen consoles, it will likely allow “Grand Theft Auto Online” to do more groundbreaking things with a new standalone version of the online component supposedly being developed for release in the second half of 2021.

There’s a suspicion that this is a way to keep “Online” as a continuous entity even if “Grand Theft Auto VI” finally appears, but that’s all in the realm of speculation at present.

Tech Radar notes that PlayStation owners have a significant advantage in all of this because if you play “GTA Online” on PS4, you'll get GTA$1 million to spend in-game every month until the PS5 version of “GTA” launches. When “GTA Online” standalone edition arrives on PS5, owners of the console will have three months to claim the game for free after release.

"The new generation versions of GTA 5 will feature a range of technical improvements, visual upgrades and performance enhancements to take full advantage of the latest hardware, making the game more beautiful and more responsive than ever," Rockstar said about the upgrades for the game on next-gen hardware.

Tech Radar is speculating that the game will likely resemble the PC version as it runs on high-end hardware although there’s a possibility Rockstar is planning yet to be revealed tweaks.

Simply put, it would seem that “Grand Theft Auto VI” is just not ready. Eight years between game chapters seems like an eternity for some, yet for the fans of GTA 5, the wait looks manageable as the game is sustained by continuing sales of GTA 5 and in-game currency. Everyone will simply have to wait.