In a nutshell: Grand Theft Auto V has been Rockstar's cash cow for nearly eight years, and that does not look to be ending any time soon. Last year, the developer announced a next-gen version would be coming this year, and today it firmed up the release date.
On Tuesday, Rockstar confirmed a release date for the next-gen versions of Grand Theft Auto V. The main game and GTA Online are arriving on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 11, just in time for the holidays. The standalone version of GTA Online will be free for PS5 owners for the first three months. However, XSX|S owners will have to either buy Online separately or get it with the complete GTA V package.
Last year, Rockstar teased that the next-gen version of GTA V would be "expanded and enhanced." The developer reiterated those terms today. Enhanced is, of course, expected. Better textures and modeling are a no-brainer on the new hardware. Expanded has everyone wondering if Rockstar is finally going to bring fresh content to the game. The fact that Rockstar promised single-player DLC and never delivered has been a sticking point with many fans for years.
Maybe the developers have decided to make good on that promise, but Rockstar is not giving away any secrets yet. We don't even have any screenshots or footage showing how it will look. Although, Intel recently revealed what it could look like with a bit of help from machine learning.
For me, extra SP content would be the only reason I would consider paying for the game again. GTA V with a new coat of paint does not interest me. However, I'm not holding my breath.
Regardless of my feelings, Rockstar is clearly going to continue riding the GTA V/O gravy train until it finally derails. In November, the game will have spanned three console generations. Its longevity is a bit like Bethesda's TESV: Skyrim, except Rockstar has not yet ported it to the Switch or Amazon's Alexa.