GTA 5 next-gen release slammed for lack of new gameplay upgrades: “Be better”

Nine years since its initial release and GTA 5 has finally reached new-gen hardware with the Expanded & Enhanced edition. Though just hours after the port went online and players have already been let down by a lack of new features and graphical upgrades.

Despite some delays along the way, GTA 5 Expanded & Enhanced is now available across PS5 and Xbox Series X | S hardware. 

With the latest edition intending to be more than just “a simple port,” according to Rockstar Games, the rerelease comes boasting new graphics modes, improved loading times, and various console-specific features like haptic feedback on PS5.

Despite these improvements, however, the day one experience hasn’t quite met expectations. While not on the same level as last year’s GTA Trilogy debacle, devs remained fairly quiet once again ahead of this new-gen port for GTA 5, with minimal gameplay shown ahead of launch.

Now it seems history is repeating itself to an extent as fans of the open-world franchise have been disappointed with the “joke” of a remaster that supposedly changes “nothing.”

Although visuals have been enhanced to some degree, not everything is up to the level of polish fans were expecting. From draw distance appearing unchanged to smaller details like car mirrors remaining blank, many have argued the game “looks identical” to its older versions.

Various visual bugs and small gameplay issues appear to be impacted by the jump to 60FPS with the new performance mode as well. We’ve already seen amusing smoke mishaps along with some troubled barriers that don’t quite work as intended.

Furthermore, the new GTA Online port also comes with its fair share of issues on day one. Most notably, the radio wheel is allegedly “broken” on both PS5 and Xbox consoles.

While players can select from the regular stations, no music comes through the speakers.

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These compounding issues have players concerned that Rockstar may “never learn” from past mistakes. “You’d think after releasing one train wreck a few months ago, they’d be better prepared,” one player stressed on Reddit. “Be better than this!”

So even with a smaller price point at launch and a range of exclusive vehicles for new-gen owners, it’s safe to say the latest GTA 5 port is far from perfect.

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Although a handful of smaller bugs can certainly be patched in the coming weeks, overall design choices and graphical upgrades may be final. With GTA 6 officially in development, it’s likely Rockstar is full steam ahead on the future of the franchise.