Grand Theft Auto 5 celebrates its 10th anniversary

It’s quite hard to believe, but yes, yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the first release of GTA 5 on PS3 and Xbox 360.

It has undoubtedly become a milestone in recent gaming history, driven by an impressive figure of over 160 million lifetime sales, critical acclaim, and endless controversies from developer Rockstar Games and its parent company Take-Two. The popular multiplayer mode, GTA Online, continues to stand the test of time as Rockstar continually adds new updates and content.

With Rockstar working on GTA 6 and Take-Two suggesting it could be released as early as next year, now seems an appropriate time to take stock of the achievements, missteps, and thoughts surrounding GTA 5.

This is where it all started with our first review of GTA 5 10 years ago. Since its release, players have had plenty of time to complete several parts of the narrative campaign, at which point Donlan began thinking about the game’s threads and how we, as a player, can weave them together. -themselves.

Our resident VR expert, Ian, explored a mod that lets you play GTA 5 from start to finish in VR and he really had a great time racing around Los Santos. Earlier in this page, you’ll find a video of Ian attempting stunts like driving on the wrong side of the road and accidentally becoming a shark’s dinner in GTA 5 VR.

As Ian noted in his blog post about his experience, you need a pretty beefy PC to run the mod without any issues. Fortunately, Digital Foundry has studied the PC version of GTA 5 to determine the best hardware for the game, which serves as a good benchmark for your own computer.

GTA 5 also caused many different conceptual breakdowns, not just technical ones. Although its cynical humor and satire are among the game’s most memorable elements, opinions are divided on its use and effects. GTA Online’s continued existence was summed up well by The Cayo Perico Heist, a content update added in 2020.

GTA Online was part of our Games of the Decade series for the 2010s for a multiplayer experience that’s arguably unrivaled. It’s full of stories waiting to be discovered and told, like The Diamond Casino Heist and a casino that finally opened its doors to players after six years.

Take-Two’s love for GTA 5 fans has sometimes been less obvious, however. It’s been eight years since the company sent two private investigators to a modder’s home to convince him to stop working on a mod called FiveM that would add an alternative online option to the game. Take-Two is continually looking for modders, repeatedly removing mods ranging from added maps to AI-powered NPC conversations. However, bucking the trend of events, Rockstar announced last month that it had hired the group of modders behind FiveM, who were previously banned from playing GTA 5 and GTA Online.

These 10 years have truly been a whirlwind for GTA 5. Will its longevity last another 10 years? Only time will tell.