Forget GTA 6! GTA 5 and GTA Online get Ray Tracing, 4K at 60 fps, and more

GTA 6 announcement sidelined by big updates to GTA 5 and GTA Online for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Rockstar Games has revamped GTA 5 and GTA Online for the current generation consoles (Rockstar Games)

GTA 6 has been confirmed already but Rockstar Games isn't leaving its trustworthy GTA 5 and GTA Online alone yet. With GTA 6 trailers yet to make it to YouTube, Rockstar Games has revamped GTA 5 and GTA Online for the current generation consoles, i.e., Xbox Series X|S and Sony PlayStation 5. The update is heading to these new age consoles on March 15, thereby marking a third-generation upgrade in its lifecycle.

“Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S features new graphics modes with up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, texture and draw distance upgrades, HDR options and ray-tracing, as well as offering the technical advancements of the latest console generation with faster loading times, immersive 3D audio, platform-specific features like advanced haptic feedback, and much more,” says Rockstar Games on its blog post.

GTA 5, GTA Online get major updates

These new generation upgrades will be come with several migration benefits. “PS4 and Xbox One players eager to continue their journey on the newest generation of hardware will be able to transfer both their GTAV Story Mode progress and their current GTA Online characters and progression to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S with a one-time migration at launch,” says Rockstar Games.

Additionally, GTA Online will also get a special next generation upgrade for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, which will debut at launch. This will be available for free to PlayStation 5 players for the first three months.

“New GTA Online players will now enter the Career Builder, with instant access to their choice of one of four illicit businesses — Biker, Executive, Nightclub Owner, or Gunrunner — and a sizable GTA$ windfall to help select a property, high-end vehicle, and the firepower required to kickstart their enterprise. Returning players will also have the option to restart their character and take advantage of the Career Builder at any time,” adds the developer in its post.

Note that Rockstar Games hasn't clarified whether these graphical upgrades will make it to the PC version of GTA 5. However, the GTA 5 PC community has lots of mods already available to enhance the graphics, including the ability to add ray tracing as well as enhanced textures.