GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced Edition Review – The Big Score

Reviewed on PlayStation 5. Review copy provided by Take-Two Interactive.

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Nearly a decade has passed since the release of Grand Theft Auto V on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2013. The game was a huge hit initially, but nobody could have predicted that it would still be relevant and one of the most popular games on the market in 2022 across all platforms. It’s impossible to overestimate how popular Grand Theft Auto V and its online companion have been, but after four rereleases, the game is in a very different place than it was when it was first released all those years ago.

GTA V and GTA Online are finally playable on consoles at contemporary resolutions and framerates thanks to this “extended and upgraded” rerelease. The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game finally have all the quality of life enhancements that other games received at the end of the previous generation, such as faster framerates, sharper resolutions, frustration-free multiplayer, and more. But are all these improvements worth a paid upgrade that could have been free?

The Story Experience

However, despite Grand Theft Auto V’s single-player mode being completely abandoned since its release, a good amount of gamers have still yet to experience the game’s plot. This PS5 and Xbox Series X|S release of Grand Theft Auto V is a great opportunity for newcomers to play Franklin, Michael, and Trevor for the first time, and happily, the game looks and performs better than ever.

Technical Upgrades

This time around, players can pick from a variety of graphic settings. All three modes have ray tracing for shadows, but the Performance RT mode delivers the best of both worlds: a native 4K resolution at 30 frames per second and 60 FPS at an upscaled 4K resolution. The Performance option is the best of the three because the ray-traced shadows in the Fidelity mode are a bit underwhelming. However, there aren’t any substantial graphical changes, and it still mostly just appears like a touched-up version of the PS4/Xbox One version.

On the plus side, GTA V will run at a frame rate higher than 1080p/30 FPS, thanks to the improvements brought about by the next generation system and other improvements like PS5’s DualSense controller compatibility. The issue is that, despite being a premium product, the game hasn’t been “extended and enhanced” to its full potential.

Story and World

GTA V’s single-player story hasn’t been altered in any way. Making this a missed opportunity to add some new single-player content to the game.

In spite of this, the campaign is still as enjoyable as it was in 2013. Rockstar has come a long way in terms of storytelling since the release of this game, and it’s obvious to see how much they’ve progressed since then. This story, which was groundbreaking in 2013, now feels a little stale, but the three protagonists are still enjoyable to watch. For some reason, these characters are beloved, and the plot continues to be a whirl of back-to-back Hollywood references.

The open world of Los Santos is also one of the best and most detailed ever made. In addition to the main story, there is a wealth of additional content, including triathlons, tennis matches, and beautiful landscapes. There is nothing like weaving through traffic while listening to your favourite radio station, and taking a road trip to Blaine County is a welcome respite from the city’s busy streets. It’s GTA V, and we know exactly what to expect.

The GTA Online Experience

In spite of its label as “Grand Theft Auto V,” we all know that the game’s story mode is not its main selling point. As a result, Grand Theft Auto Online has grown to the point that it now has a standalone version And is likely the reason 90 per cent of gamers will buy the new next-generation port. Anyone who had played GTA V before the Online’s original release could not have predicted how popular it would become in the first place.

With little indication of stopping, a free tacked-on multiplayer option from 2013 has developed into one of the most profitable and influential games of all time. However, GTA Online’s systems and infrastructure were not built with this degree of success in mind, and the game still feels these constraints today. Bad lobby systems, long load times, griefing and other difficulties, as well as problems with connections and grinding, are all somewhat addressed in this version.

GTA Online still has the resolution and framerate improvements, so PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players can finally enjoy 60 FPS. While the system’s SSDs aid loading times, you’ll still spend a long time searching for a lobby. As a result of this revamp, new players will be able to select a starting business and get a lump sum of money to ease the burden of early-game grinding. Additionally, the menus have been improved to make locating jobs and heists around the game’s world much easier.

GTA Online Upgrades

Even so, GTA Online still feels dated when compared to other online games released in the last few years, despite these tiny tweaks. There needs to be a more comprehensive rework of the game to allow for the inclusion of more types of content. There are still a lot of heists and businesses to see here. While playing jobs and missions still feels like a waste of time unless they are the weekly ones with additional payments, you could just grind Cayo Perico to gain some quick cash. There are so many faults with the game’s connection and lobby system that it’s hardly worth playing much of its content.

But it doesn’t matter if some of the content isn’t up to snuff; there’s still so much to choose from. You can rob the casino mentioned earlier, among other things, or take part in an underground racing scene, take on player-created jobs, or participate in bespoke races hovering above the city. In every sense of the word, it’s an open-world playground, and its qualities are the only ones that allowed it to endure as many backend troubles as it has.

GTA Online has had its share of problems, but it’s still going strong a decade later. It’s a fantastic online game in almost every way possible. Heists remain some of the most engaging co-op content currently available, and driving about and screwing around with pals is one of the most enjoyable pastimes. We should expect even more innovative and smaller-scale heists in the future, as demonstrated by the most recent heists. New upgrades have added a great deal of story content for solitary players and thrilling collaborations with artists like Dr Dre, making the game even more enjoyable.

TL;DR

Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Online are now officially on the current gen of consoles. This is a no-brainer if you’re still playing the game on the console. The technical upgrades are very welcome, although I do wish it was a free upgrade given the behemoth that is GTA Online. Not to mention, the lack of any additions to the single-player is a massive missed opportunity.

If you’ve never played GTA V or Online before and want to get into it, this might be the best way to do so on a console. GTA Online is packed with content and things to do, and if you have a couple of friends, you’re going to be having a lot of fun. Just keep in mind that there can be times when you might have to grind missions to get what you want.