GTA 5 release dates for every platform
By Rhys Calderbank Fact-checked by Terrence Abiola Updated
GTA 5 first came out on September 17, 2013, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It then reached PS4 and Xbox One on November 18, 2014, PC on April 14, 2015, and PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on March 15, 2022. The newest version, GTA V Enhanced for PC, arrived on March 4, 2025 as a free upgrade for existing PC owners.
Key takeaways
- The original launch was September 17, 2013 on PS3 and Xbox 360, and GTA Online followed on October 1, 2013.
- PS5 and Xbox Series X|S got the Expanded and Enhanced version on March 15, 2022. GTA V Enhanced reached PC on March 4, 2025.
- GTA 5 leaves the PS Plus Extra and Premium catalog on November 17, 2026, two days before GTA 6 launches.
- Legacy and Enhanced PC players can’t share GTA Online sessions, so a friend group needs to be on the same build.
- Take-Two puts GTA V at more than 230 million units sold-in as of August 2026.
| Platform | Release date | Version name | Console generation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 3 | September 17, 2013 | Original | 7th |
| Xbox 360 | September 17, 2013 | Original | 7th |
| GTA Online (PS3, Xbox 360) | October 1, 2013 | Online launch | 7th |
| PlayStation 4 | November 18, 2014 | Re-release | 8th |
| Xbox One | November 18, 2014 | Re-release | 8th |
| PC (Windows) | April 14, 2015 | Now called GTA V Legacy | PC |
| PlayStation 5 | March 15, 2022 | Expanded and Enhanced | 9th |
| Xbox Series X|S | March 15, 2022 | Expanded and Enhanced | 9th |
| PC (Windows) | March 4, 2025 | GTA V Enhanced | PC |
| Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, mobile | Not announced | None | None |
These dates apply to North America and Europe, which launched together every time. Japan got some versions later, and those dates have their own section further down.
The short version
Every date in that table fell on a Tuesday. For most of GTA 5’s life, Tuesday was the standard release day for big North American games, and Rockstar kept to it every time, even for the 2025 PC upgrade.
Grand Theft Auto V has now been sold across three console generations and two separate PC builds. In its first-quarter fiscal 2027 report on August 7, 2026, Take-Two said the game has sold-in more than 230 million units worldwide. Only Minecraft has sold more. A 13-year run of re-releases explains a large part of that total, because many players bought the game two or three times.
Did you know?
According to Take-Two’s August 7, 2026 earnings report, GTA V alone has sold-in over 230 million units. The whole Grand Theft Auto series stands at nearly 475 million.
PS3 and Xbox 360: September 17, 2013
The original Grand Theft Auto V release date was Tuesday, September 17, 2013, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Rockstar North in Edinburgh led development, with support from other Rockstar studios. The standard edition sold for $59.99 in the US.
From reveal to release
Rockstar confirmed the game existed on October 25, 2011, and released the first trailer on November 2, 2011. That trailer showed Los Santos and the surrounding countryside. It confirmed the series was going back to Rockstar’s take on Southern California for the first time since GTA San Andreas in 2004.
The game was first pencilled in for spring 2013. On January 31, 2013, Rockstar moved it to September 17, 2013, saying it needed more time to polish the game. That was the original console version’s only delay, and the September date held.
In the months before launch, Rockstar kept the reveals coming. It introduced the three playable leads, Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton and Trevor Philips, in a set of character trailers, then released a gameplay video in July 2013. GTA Online got its own reveal in August 2013, a month before the main game came out.
What shipped on day one
The two last-generation versions came in different physical formats. That still matters if you buy a used copy:
- PS3: one Blu-ray disc, with a mandatory install of around 8GB to the console’s hard drive.
- Xbox 360: two DVDs. The first was an install disc and the second the play disc. Rockstar recommended installing the first disc for better texture streaming.
There were three editions. The standard edition was just the game. The Special Edition ($79.99) added a steelbook case, a blueprint map and in-game bonuses such as the Atomic Blimp and extra weapons. The Collector’s Edition ($149.99) added physical items like a Security Deposit Bag and a cap on top of the Special Edition content.
Launch week records
The September 2013 launch was one of the most successful in entertainment history. Take-Two announced that GTA 5 generated more than $800 million in retail sales in its first 24 hours. Three days after launch it crossed $1 billion. At the time, that made it the fastest entertainment property of any kind to reach the mark, ahead of every film and every other game.
Guinness World Records later recognised the game with seven records tied to that launch, including best-selling video game in 24 hours and fastest entertainment property to gross $1 billion.
Why it launched so late in the generation
The timing looks odd in hindsight. The PlayStation 4 launched in North America on November 15, 2013, and the Xbox One followed on November 22, 2013. GTA 5 arrived about two months before both.
Rockstar chose to ship on hardware that had been on sale since 2005 and 2006, with tens of millions of consoles already in homes, rather than wait for new machines almost nobody owned yet. Commercially, it worked. It also set up the re-release a year later, which is why GTA 5 has so many release dates in the first place.
GTA Online: October 1, 2013
GTA Online was not part of the September 17 launch. It went live two weeks later, on Tuesday, October 1, 2013, as a free multiplayer component for anyone who owned GTA 5 on PS3 or Xbox 360.
The first days were rough. Servers buckled under the load, some players lost character progress, and Rockstar spent the following weeks on fixes. As compensation, it gave a GTA$500,000 stimulus package to players who had logged in during October 2013.
GTA Online on PS3 and Xbox 360 shut down on December 16, 2021. Story mode on those consoles still works offline, so an old PS3 pulled out of a cupboard can still play the campaign from start to finish. It just can’t go online.
PS4 and Xbox One: November 18, 2014
The second GTA 5 release date was Tuesday, November 18, 2014, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Rockstar announced the new-generation version at Sony’s E3 press conference in June 2014, with a fall 2014 window for consoles and PC together. The console versions then got their November date, and PC moved to a schedule of its own.
This was a full re-release, built on the extra memory and processing power of the new hardware. The headline changes:
- First-person mode. The whole game, story and Online, could be played from a first-person view. For many players this changed how Los Santos felt more than any graphical upgrade.
- Higher resolution and draw distance. Both consoles ran at 1080p, with denser traffic, more pedestrians and more vegetation.
- New wildlife, weather effects and radio content. Extra tracks were added to the stations, and the world got more animals and detail.
- Returning player bonuses. Players who had played on PS3 or Xbox 360 and linked their Social Club account unlocked extras including the Dodo seaplane, the Kraken submarine and the Duke O’Death muscle car.
Players could also move their GTA Online character and progression from the old consoles to the new ones. That one-time transfer meant people kept their progress instead of starting from zero.
Physical media
Both versions shipped on Blu-ray and needed a full install of roughly 50GB at launch. Years of GTA Online updates have made the installed size far larger today, so a used disc copy still needs a big download before you can play online. Later printings, including the Premium Edition, bundled Online content such as the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack.
Why it was released again so soon
Only 14 months separated the PS3 and PS4 launches. Rockstar sold the same game to a large group of players twice, and many of them were happy to pay again for first-person mode and the visual upgrade.
The 2014 version also outlasted the original by a wide margin. PS4 and Xbox One were the main way people played GTA 5 for the next seven years, and most of GTA Online’s growth happened there.
When did GTA 5 come out on PC? April 14, 2015
GTA 5 came out on PC on Tuesday, April 14, 2015. At launch it was sold through Steam, as a boxed retail copy and through Rockstar’s own store, which used the Rockstar Games Social Club client to run the game. Rockstar replaced that client with the Rockstar Games Launcher on September 17, 2019, the game’s sixth anniversary. The US launch price was $59.99, the same as on consoles.
The PC version was delayed twice before release, which is why so many players remember it as the version that took forever.
| Announced target | What happened |
|---|---|
| Fall 2014 | Window given at E3 2014 alongside PS4 and Xbox One |
| January 27, 2015 | First firm PC date |
| March 24, 2015 | First delay, for extra polish |
| April 14, 2015 | Second delay, final release date |
The game was enormous for 2015. The retail box came on seven DVDs, and the install took about 65GB of disk space.
What the PC version added
The PC build was the most advanced version of GTA 5 at release:
- Resolutions up to 4K, frame rates above 60fps and a long list of graphics options.
- The Rockstar Editor, a tool for recording, cutting and exporting your own clips. It launched on PC first and later arrived on PS4 and Xbox One through a free update. It never came to PS3 or Xbox 360. Rockstar then removed it from PS4 and Xbox One on February 20, 2024, deleting saved clips and projects, to free up memory for future GTA Online updates on that hardware. It is still available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
- Support for multi-monitor setups, and GTA Online sessions of up to 30 players, more than the last-generation consoles allowed.
Legacy PC system requirements
These are the original 2015 specs for what is now called GTA V Legacy. Rockstar has since dropped support for older versions of Windows, so treat Windows 10 as the practical minimum today.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 or AMD Phenom 9850 | Intel Core i5 3470 or AMD FX-8350 |
| RAM | 4GB | 8GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA 9800 GT 1GB or AMD HD 4870 1GB | NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB or AMD HD 7870 2GB |
| Storage (at launch) | 65GB | 65GB |
Modding and the PC scene
The PC version also opened the door to mods. GTA 5 modding became one of the biggest scenes in PC gaming, from graphics overhauls to roleplay servers. Rockstar’s position softened over time, and in 2023 it acquired the team behind the FiveM roleplay platform. Single-player mods have always been tolerated far more than anything that touches GTA Online. Rockstar added BattlEye anti-cheat to the PC version in September 2024. One side effect: GTA Online stopped working on Steam Deck and Linux, though story mode still runs.
The Epic Games Store giveaway
The Epic Games Store gave GTA 5 away free between May 14 and May 21, 2020. Demand was so high that the store went down for a time on the first day. Millions of players claimed it that week, which is one reason so many PC players own the game on Epic rather than Steam.
PS5 and Xbox Series X|S: March 15, 2022
The fourth GTA 5 release date was Tuesday, March 15, 2022, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar calls this the Expanded and Enhanced version.
It took a longer and bumpier road than any console version before it. Rockstar announced it in June 2020 at Sony’s PS5 reveal event, with a window of the second half of 2021. Rockstar then set a date of November 11, 2021, before pushing it into 2022 and finally locking in March 15. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S had launched in November 2020, so owners of the new consoles waited roughly 16 months for a native version.
The March 15 launch was digital only. Physical disc versions followed on April 12, 2022.
PS5 graphics modes
The three graphics modes are the main reason to choose this version over the PS4 or Xbox One release running through backward compatibility.
| Mode | Target frame rate | Resolution | Ray tracing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity | 30fps | Up to native 4K | Yes |
| Performance | 60fps | Upscaled 4K | No |
| Performance RT | 60fps | Upscaled, lower internal resolution than Performance | Yes |
The same three-way choice applies on Xbox Series X. Xbox Series S has its own scaled-down settings, with lower resolution targets than its bigger sibling.
Most players settle on Performance mode. Driving and gunfights feel far better at 60fps than at 30fps, and GTA 5’s ray-traced effects make a smaller visual difference than the frame rate does.
Other upgrades
- Faster loading. The new consoles’ SSDs cut load times sharply compared with PS4 and Xbox One.
- DualSense features on PS5. Haptic feedback picks up weather and road surfaces, and adaptive triggers add resistance when you fire weapons and accelerate.
- 3D audio on PS5 and spatial audio support on Xbox.
- Visual improvements to texture quality, vegetation density, traffic and lighting.
Hao’s Special Works
Hao’s Special Works (HSW) is a tuning workshop inside the LS Car Meet, run by Hao, the street racing character from story mode. HSW upgrades push selected vehicles well past their standard performance, and new HSW-compatible cars and bikes arrived with the 2022 launch. The content also includes HSW Time Trials and a dedicated HSW race series.
At launch this was exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It came to PC with GTA V Enhanced in 2025. PS4, Xbox One and Legacy PC players have never had it.
Career Builder
The Career Builder is a one-time option for new GTA Online characters on Expanded and Enhanced versions. You pick one of four criminal careers:
- Biker
- Executive (CEO)
- Gunrunner
- Nightclub Owner
You then get GTA$4,000,000 to spend on a matching business property, a high-end vehicle, weapons and clothing. That skips dozens of hours of early grinding that older-generation players had to do the hard way. For anyone starting GTA Online from scratch, it is the strongest argument for playing on a current platform.
Upgrading from PS4 or Xbox One
There was no free upgrade when the Expanded and Enhanced version launched in 2022. Owning GTA 5 on PS4 did not give you the PS5 version, and the same was true on Xbox. That changed in June 2026, ahead of GTA 6. Reports say owners of the PS4 version and of the digital Xbox One version can now move up to the current-gen version at no cost. Physical Xbox One discs are excluded. Check your console’s store page before you pay for a new copy.
The PS4 and Xbox One versions still run on the new consoles through backward compatibility, but without the graphics modes, the faster loading or the exclusive Online content.
Rockstar also offers a migration path. You can move your GTA Online character and progress to the new consoles and carry story mode progress over through your Rockstar Games account. Linking that account means accepting Rockstar’s terms and its privacy policy, a step that trips up some players on older accounts.
Agent's note
On PS5, check which version you are launching. The PS4 and PS5 editions can sit side by side in your library with nearly identical icons, and plenty of players spent weeks running the old one by accident.
GTA+
Rockstar launched GTA+, a paid monthly membership for GTA Online, on March 29, 2022. At first it was exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It bundles a monthly GTA$ deposit, free vehicles, discounts and other perks.
Do you need to buy GTA 5 to play GTA Online?
Not on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Since the March 2022 release, GTA Online has been sold as a standalone purchase, separate from story mode.
Here is how it works:
- Standalone GTA Online is a paid product, not free-to-play. Its list price at launch was $19.99.
- It was free on PS5 for the first three months, from March 15 to June 14, 2022. Xbox owners got a 50% launch discount instead.
- PlayStation and Xbox still require a subscription for online multiplayer: PlayStation Plus on PS5 and Game Pass Core (formerly Xbox Live Gold) on Xbox. Buying standalone GTA Online does not remove that requirement.
- GTA 5 rotates in and out of subscription catalogs. While it is in one, subscribers can play without buying it. Its current PS Plus stint ends on November 17, 2026 (see the next section).
On PS4, Xbox One and PC, GTA Online comes bundled with the full game. Those platforms have no separate Online-only purchase.
GTA 5 leaves PS Plus on November 17, 2026
GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 leave the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Game Catalog on November 17, 2026. That is two days before Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19. Status: CONFIRMED. Sony lists both games in the “Last Chance to Play” section and has sent PS5 system notifications naming the date.
What Sony’s list shows
Sony updated the “Last Chance to Play” section on October 20, 2026, Insider Gaming reported, and GameSpot reported the removals the same day. The entries:
- GTA 5: the PS4 and PS5 versions both leave.
- Red Dead Redemption 2: listed for PS4.
- Everything else: depends on region and outlet. Push Square counts 11 departing games, and Insider Gaming counted 10. Aggregators citing regional stores report anything from 7 games in Japan (including Thank Goodness You’re Here!) to 10 to 12 elsewhere, with titles such as Hotshot Racing, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, Earth Defense Force 4.1 and Rapala Fishing Pro Series. GTA 5 and RDR2 are the only two on every list.
Removal only affects the catalog. If you bought either game separately, you keep it.
The GTA 6 pre-order prompt
Push Square and several other outlets report that PS5 owners are getting a notification about GTA 5’s expiry. It has two buttons side by side: one starts GTA 5 and the other pre-orders GTA 6. The prompt asks, “why not take a trip to Los Santos in the meantime?”
Is the removal about GTA 6?
That is a RUMOR, and an unproven one. Sony, Rockstar and Take-Two have not given a reason for the timing. GameSpot wrote that Rockstar and Take-Two are “making sure there are no distractions,” and Insider Gaming called the move logical, but both are editorial inference. Playfront.de pointed out that there is no official reason and no confirmed link to GTA 6 marketing.
The history points both ways. GTA 5 left the catalog in June 2024 with no launch anywhere in sight, and RDR2 has already cycled out twice. Rotation is routine. The pre-order button in the notification is the strongest sign of deliberate timing. Our call: suspicious, not proven.
GTA 5’s PS Plus history
This is not GTA 5’s first exit. Push Square counts three stints for GTA 5 and says RDR2 is on its third.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| GTA 5 joins the Extra and Premium catalog | December 19, 2023 |
| GTA 5 leaves in a catalog rotation | June 18, 2024 |
| RDR2 leaves for the second time | November 18, 2024 |
| GTA 5 and RDR2 leave | November 17, 2026 |
Sony has not said whether this exit is permanent or set a return date. Push Square expects both games to come back for another stint at some point. That is a reasonable read of past rotations, but it is not a commitment.
Quick steps: before GTA 5 leaves PS Plus
- Open the PS Plus Game Catalog and check “Last Chance to Play” to confirm which version you have installed.
- Plan to finish any story mode run before November 17, 2026.
- Link your Rockstar Games account so your GTA Online character sits on Rockstar’s servers, ready if you buy the game later.
- If you want to keep playing, watch for a store discount rather than paying full price.
GTA V Enhanced PC: March 4, 2025
The newest GTA 5 release date is Tuesday, March 4, 2025, when Rockstar launched GTA V Enhanced on PC. It brings the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S features to PC, plus several PC-only technologies. The original 2015 build was renamed GTA V Legacy and is still available.
Free upgrade for existing owners
GTA V Enhanced was a free upgrade. Anyone who already owned GTA 5 on PC, through Steam, the Epic Games Store or the Rockstar Games Launcher, got Enhanced in the same library at no extra cost. New buyers get both builds and choose which one to launch.
What Enhanced adds over Legacy
Enhanced has the strongest graphics feature list of any GTA 5 version:
- Ray tracing. Ray-traced shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion, plus ray-traced global illumination, which even the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions lack.
- NVIDIA DLSS 3, including frame generation on supported RTX cards.
- AMD FSR 1 and FSR 3, giving upscaling and frame generation options to AMD and older GPUs.
- 4K and HDR output.
- DirectStorage for faster loading on NVMe SSDs.
- DualSense support on PC, with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers when a PS5 controller is connected.
- 3D audio and improved sound options.
- Expanded and Enhanced content, including Hao’s Special Works and the Career Builder, which had been console-exclusive for three years.
If you have a mid-range graphics card from the last few generations, Enhanced is the best-looking version of GTA 5 on any platform.
Legacy and Enhanced players cannot play together
This is the detail that catches people out. GTA V Legacy and GTA V Enhanced players cannot join the same GTA Online sessions. The two builds use separate matchmaking pools. If your friends are on Enhanced and you launch Legacy, you won’t find them.
Rockstar offers a one-time migration of your GTA Online character and story mode progress from Legacy to Enhanced. After you migrate, the two builds track progress separately, so pick one and stay with it. For a group of friends the practical advice is simple: everyone moves to Enhanced at the same time.
Heads up
The Legacy-to-Enhanced migration is one-time only. After it, progress on the two builds is tracked separately, so migrate when you are ready to stay on Enhanced.
Legacy still has a reason to exist. It runs on older hardware that Enhanced does not support, and the established single-player modding scene was built around it.
Enhanced system requirements
Enhanced asks for much more than Legacy did, and an SSD is mandatory.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-4770 or AMD FX-9590 | Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 |
| RAM | 8GB | 16GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1630 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 6400 4GB | NVIDIA RTX 3060 8GB or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB |
| Storage | SSD required, about 105GB | SSD required, about 105GB |
Ray tracing needs a GPU with hardware ray tracing support, which means NVIDIA RTX or AMD RX 6000 series and newer.
Japan release dates
In Japan, the earlier versions came out on different dates.
| Platform | North America and Europe | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| PS3, Xbox 360 | September 17, 2013 | October 10, 2013 |
| PS4 | November 18, 2014 | December 11, 2014 |
| PC | April 14, 2015 | April 14, 2015 (digital) |
| PS5, Xbox Series X|S | March 15, 2022 | March 15, 2022 (digital) |
| GTA V Enhanced PC | March 4, 2025 | March 4, 2025 |
The staggered Japanese launches in 2013 and 2014 came from separate localisation and age rating work for that market, which was normal for the series at the time. Once the game moved to digital storefronts with global release schedules, the gap disappeared.
GTA 5 price history
| Version | Launch year | US launch price |
|---|---|---|
| PS3, Xbox 360 standard | 2013 | $59.99 |
| PS3, Xbox 360 Special Edition | 2013 | $79.99 |
| PS3, Xbox 360 Collector’s Edition | 2013 | $149.99 |
| PS4, Xbox One | 2014 | $59.99 |
| PC | 2015 | $59.99 |
| PS5, Xbox Series X|S | 2022 | $39.99 (50% off at launch) |
| Standalone GTA Online (PS5, Xbox Series X|S) | 2022 | $19.99 (free on PS5 for three months) |
| GTA V Enhanced PC | 2025 | Free for existing PC owners |
The current list price on modern platforms sits well below the 2013 price, and GTA 5 is one of the most frequently discounted big games on every store. Sales that cut the price by half or more come around several times a year. With GTA 5 leaving PS Plus on November 17, 2026, subscribers who want to keep playing should wait for one of those sales rather than buy at list price.
Where to play GTA 5 in 2026
Every platform below still sells or supports GTA 5. The version you pick decides which GTA Online content you get and who you can play with.
| Platform | Where to buy | Version | GTA Online | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS5 | PlayStation Store, disc | Expanded and Enhanced | Yes, with PS Plus | Leaves PS Plus catalog November 17, 2026; standalone GTA Online sold separately |
| Xbox Series X|S | Microsoft Store, disc | Expanded and Enhanced | Yes, with Game Pass Core or Ultimate | Standalone GTA Online sold separately |
| PS4 | PlayStation Store, disc | 2014 re-release | Yes, with PS Plus | No HSW or Career Builder; Rockstar Editor removed in 2024 |
| Xbox One | Microsoft Store, disc | 2014 re-release | Yes, with Game Pass Core or Ultimate | No HSW or Career Builder; Rockstar Editor removed in 2024 |
| PC | Steam, Epic Games Store, Rockstar Games Launcher | Enhanced and Legacy | Yes, free | Enhanced is the default choice |
| PS3, Xbox 360 | Used discs only | Original | No, servers closed 2021 | Story mode only |
For most new players the best choice is PS5, Xbox Series X|S or GTA V Enhanced on PC. Buy the PS4 or Xbox One version only if that is the only hardware you own. You give up the most useful Online features, and those versions are the last to get new content.
Online status on PS4 and Xbox One
GTA Online on PS4 and Xbox One is still running in 2026, and the platforms still get major updates. The Kortz Center Heist, released on July 14, 2026, launched on PS4 and Xbox One alongside PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Support isn’t equal, though. HSW and the Career Builder never came to the older consoles, and Rockstar cut the Rockstar Editor from them in February 2024, citing the memory limits of last-generation hardware.
Rockstar has not set a public shutdown date for PS4 and Xbox One Online. The PS3 and Xbox 360 precedent shows the usual pattern: support narrows, then a closure date is announced months ahead. If you have a long-term GTA Online character on PS4 or Xbox One, migrate it to a current platform while the transfer option exists.
Major title updates since launch
GTA 5’s story mode has barely changed since 2013. Rockstar never released the single-player expansions it hinted at early on, and almost all post-launch content went into GTA Online. These are the updates that shaped it most:
| Update | Release date | What it added |
|---|---|---|
| GTA Online launch | October 1, 2013 | The multiplayer mode itself |
| Heists | March 10, 2015 | Multi-part co-op heist missions, 18 months after launch |
| The Diamond Casino & Resort | July 23, 2019 | Casino, penthouses, games of chance |
| The Cayo Perico Heist | December 15, 2020 | First heist playable solo, with a new island map |
| Los Santos Tuners | July 20, 2021 | LS Car Meet and car customization overhaul |
| The Contract | December 15, 2021 | Franklin’s return, with Dr. Dre |
| Expanded and Enhanced | March 15, 2022 | HSW, Career Builder, standalone Online |
| The Kortz Center Heist | July 14, 2026 | New heist, released on all five current platforms |
The Heists delay is worth remembering. Rockstar promised them for GTA Online’s launch window, and the 18-month wait became a running joke in the community. Cayo Perico matters for a different reason. It was the first heist built so one player could finish it alone, and it became the go-to money maker for players who didn’t want to rely on random teammates.
Controversy and criticism around the launches
GTA 5’s launches were never quiet. Three episodes stand out:
- The torture mission. “By the Book,” a story mission where the player tortures a captive during an interrogation, drew heavy criticism from reviewers and commentators in 2013. Rockstar left it in every version.
- Target Australia pulled the game. In December 2014, weeks after the PS4 and Xbox One release, Target and Kmart in Australia removed GTA 5 from sale after a petition objected to the game’s treatment of women. The decision triggered a backlash of its own and became a major story in the Australian press.
- The Lindsay Lohan lawsuit. Lohan sued Take-Two in 2014, claiming a character was based on her likeness. New York’s highest court dismissed the case in 2018.
Criticism of the game’s satire, especially its jokes aimed at women and LGBT characters, has followed GTA 5 for its entire life. Those debates came back as GTA 6 drew closer.
What every version includes: hobbies, pastimes and 100% completion
The core campaign is the same in every version, whichever release date it carries. Story mode tells the full Michael, Franklin and Trevor arc across 69 story missions, with three endings and the same Los Santos and Blaine County map.
The Hobbies and Pastimes list on the in-game checklist covers activities you can pick up between missions:
- Golf, tennis and darts
- Yoga and triathlons
- Street races and off-road races
- Flight School challenges
- Hunting
- The stock market, split between the LCN and BAWSAQ exchanges
The stock market is the one worth planning around. Michael’s assassination missions for Lester let you move share prices, and investing every character’s money before those missions is the standard way to become a billionaire in story mode.
100% completion is a serious challenge. Beyond the missions and hobbies, the checklist includes Strangers and Freaks side missions, random events and miscellaneous tasks. The collectibles are the grind: 50 spaceship parts and 50 letter scraps, both tied to Strangers and Freaks missions, plus 50 stunt jumps, 50 Under the Bridge flights and 15 Knife Flights. The pause menu checklist shows your completion percentage, and progress carries over when you migrate to a newer version, so you can continue a run started years ago. If you are playing through PS Plus, budget your time: a full 100% run will not fit comfortably into the days left before November 17, 2026.
From GTA 5 to GTA 6
GTA 5’s long life leads straight into the next game. Rockstar released the first GTA 6 trailer on the evening of December 4, 2023, after it leaked online, instead of at its planned December 5 debut. The second trailer followed on May 6, 2025. The game is set in Leonida, Rockstar’s version of Florida, with Jason and Lucia as the two leads.
The GTA 6 release date has moved twice. Rockstar first targeted fall 2025, then set May 26, 2026, then announced in November 2025 that the game would launch on November 19, 2026. That date is CONFIRMED: Take-Two reaffirmed it in its August 7, 2026 earnings update and built its fiscal 2027 forecast around it. Pre-orders opened on June 25, 2026, with the standard edition at $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition at $99.99. GTA 6 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar has not announced a PC version, which fits its pattern: GTA 5 reached PC 19 months after consoles.
With launch on November 19, 2026, the gap between GTA 5 and GTA 6 comes to just over 13 years, by far the longest between mainline entries in the series.
FAQ
When did GTA 5 come out?
GTA 5 first came out on September 17, 2013, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Later versions followed on PS4 and Xbox One (November 18, 2014), PC (April 14, 2015), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S (March 15, 2022), and GTA V Enhanced on PC (March 4, 2025).
What year did GTA 5 come out?
- The original console version launched in September 2013, and GTA Online followed on October 1, 2013.
When was GTA 5 fully released?
The full game, story mode included, released on September 17, 2013. GTA Online went live two weeks later, on October 1, 2013. If you mean when it reached every major platform, that was April 14, 2015, when the PC version came out. Rockstar has kept adding versions since, most recently GTA V Enhanced in March 2025.
When did GTA 5 come out on PC?
April 14, 2015, after two delays from earlier dates in January and March 2015. The upgraded GTA V Enhanced build arrived on March 4, 2025, free for existing PC owners.
When did GTA 5 come out on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S?
March 15, 2022, as a digital release. Physical discs followed on April 12, 2022.
When is GTA 5 leaving PS Plus?
November 17, 2026. GTA 5 (PS4 and PS5) and Red Dead Redemption 2 leave the PS Plus Extra and Premium catalog that day, two days before GTA 6 launches. If you bought either game separately, you keep it.
Will GTA 5 come back to PS Plus?
Sony has not announced a return date. GTA 5 has already been in and out of the catalog, joining on December 19, 2023 and leaving on June 18, 2024. Push Square expects another stint in the future, but nothing is official.
Is GTA Online free on PS5?
Not permanently. Standalone GTA Online was free on PS5 from March 15 to June 14, 2022. After that it became a paid product, and you need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play online regardless. Playing through the PS Plus catalog ends when GTA 5 leaves it on November 17, 2026.
Can PS4 owners upgrade to the PS5 version for free?
Not at the 2022 launch, when the PS5 version was a separate purchase. Since June 2026, reports say PS4 owners and digital Xbox One owners can move to the current-gen version at no cost, with physical Xbox One discs excluded. Check your store page before buying.
Can Legacy and Enhanced PC players play together?
No. GTA V Legacy and GTA V Enhanced use separate GTA Online sessions, so players on different builds can’t join each other. Rockstar offers a one-time migration from Legacy to Enhanced.
Did GTA 5 make 1 billion in 3 days?
Yes. Take-Two reported that GTA 5 passed $1 billion in sales three days after its September 17, 2013 launch, after making more than $800 million in its first 24 hours. At the time, no film, game or other entertainment product had reached $1 billion faster.
Why has GTA 6 taken 12 years?
Several reasons add up. GTA Online kept earning so much that Rockstar had little commercial pressure to move on. Much of the studio worked on Red Dead Redemption 2, which released on October 26, 2018. GTA 6 is also far bigger in scope, and its development ran through the pandemic and a major September 2022 security breach that leaked early development footage, which Rockstar confirmed at the time. With release set for November 19, 2026, the real gap after GTA 5 is just over 13 years.
Is GTA LGBT friendly?
The series has a mixed record. GTA IV’s 2009 expansion The Ballad of Gay Tony put a gay character at the centre of its story, and GTA Online lets players create and dress characters freely. GTA 5’s satire, though, includes stereotyped LGBT characters and jokes at trans people’s expense, which critics have called out for years. Reports in late 2023 said Rockstar had quietly removed some transphobic content from GTA Online. How GTA 6 handles these themes is still an open question.
Will GTA 5 come to Nintendo Switch or mobile?
Rockstar has not announced a version for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, iOS or Android. Other Rockstar games have come to Switch, but GTA 5 hasn’t, and there is no official announcement.
Byline and sources
- Fact-checked by Terrence Abiola against the sources listed below before publication.
- Published · Updated
Checking and sources
- Researched from 6 sources, listed below.
- Every claim is checked by Terrence Abiola; anything we cannot confirm is corrected, labelled or removed.
Sources (6)
- Grand Theft Auto V (en.wikipedia.org)
- Announcing the Grand Theft Auto V Special Edition and (rockstargames.com)
- Grand Theft Auto V (gta.fandom.com)
- Gta v ps5 xbox series x release date (digitaltrends.com)
- Grand Theft Auto VI (en.wikipedia.org)
- Gta 5 release date (gameboost.com)
