I returned to GTA 5 one last time before GTA 6 comes out – here’s why Los Santos still surprises me 13 years after release

October 10, 2026 at 07:00 PM

What could possibly be left to say about Grand Theft Auto 5 ?

<![CDATA[ <article> What could possibly be left to say about Grand Theft Auto 5? In the 13 years since the release of Rockstar Games’ open-world magnum opus, we’ve had a nonstop running commentary from YouTubers, podcasters, and game journalists about its world, writing, and many secrets. Entire careers have flourished based on the art of talking about GTA 5. <div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">From the Backlog</div><div class="fancy_box_body">Every gamer has a backlog — and that’s no different for us at TechRadar Gaming. From the Backlog is a series about overdue first-plays, revisiting classics, returning to online experiences, or rediscovering and appreciating established favorites in new ways. Read the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.techradar.com/tag/from-the-backlog">full series here</a>.</div></div>Rockstar’s 2013 open-world opus has had such an effect on culture since its initial release that it’s hard to imagine a world without it. It’s seen releases and remasters across three console generations. It’s won the highest awards in some countries and been outright banned in others. And an entire generation of gamers has grown into adulthood knowing the streets of Los Santos better than their hometown.Alas, GTA 6 is on the horizon – following years of trailers, teasers, and unfortunate leaks, the sixth Grand Theft Auto game arrives on November 19, 2026. The fact that the game won’t launch with a physical disc version won’t stop it from dominating conversation and the sales charts on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC for years to come. I’ve spent a good few years playing GTA 5 (in order to keep PEGI off our backs, that’s as specific as I’ll be getting) and have put in thousands of hours across various versions of GTA 5 and GTA Online.As a final salute to Los Santos, I loaded up GTA 5 on my <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/ps5">PlayStation 5 </a>and <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/games-consoles/sony-ps4-1202432/review">PS4</a> to see how one of the best games of all time has evolved during its ten-year tenure at the forefront of gaming culture. <h2 id="re-remastered">Re-remastered</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2560px;"><img id="L7iPzRfmQbPgyutU4QZDBj" name="GTA FTB 1" alt="A screenshot of GTA V picturing Franklin and a dirt bike on a mountain" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/L7iPzRfmQbPgyutU4QZDBj-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2560" height="1440" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout">GTA V on PS5 looks simply phenomenal, especially given the age of its textures and models (Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)</figcaption></figure>Full disclosure: I’d never actually played the PS5-native version of GTA 5 before starting work on this piece, and loading up the game for the first time, I wasn’t sure if Los Santos could still surprise me after so many years spent drifting through its virtual streets. Luckily, I was proven wrong — not in the prologue, which is showing its age at this point, but in my first drive around the open world. After speeding through the first few missions as Franklin, I stole an Aston Martin-esque sports car and blasted north on the Great Ocean Highway, stopping along the way to take in the enhanced visuals and classic San Andreas vistas, and ultimately spending around an hour just drifting through the streets and countryside trails.GTA 5’s PS5 edition comes with a few new graphics modes, and the one that stands out is Performance RT. This combines the ray-tracing of the Fidelity mode and the 60 frames per second (fps) framerate of the Performance mode, and leaves the game looking simply gorgeous. There’s only so far you can polish 13-year-old character models, and some textures are beginning to look a little JPEG-ish, but the environmental design, excellent weather effects, and increased framerate made GTA 5 feel more alive than ever. The game has always had best-in-class driving controls for a casual title, and passable combat and on-foot input, but doubling the framerate to a stable 60fps makes everything feel more immediate and responsive. Speaking of driving, the PS5’s <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/dualsense-wireless-controller">DualSense controller</a> gets a few neat tactile responses with this version of the game — you’ll get a bump on the right trigger as your car changes gear, feel the weight of each trigger pull in a shootout, sense the rumble of passing traffic. It’s a small change, but one that pulls you even further into the game’s criminal underworld. Not that immersion was ever an issue. I played GTA 5 on PS5 up until the end of the first heist, and I felt that, in some ways (more on that later), the writing had aged tremendously — though I’m not sure how much of that is down to my own progressing adulthood. As I step into the latter half of my twenties, Franklin’s frustration with the everyday struggle at the start of the game comes through as incisive and relatable. Michael’s unstable ennui is, likewise, easier to imagine with the weight of the world resting a little heavier on my shoulders. I don’t quite relate to Trevor yet (maybe that’s one for my thirties). It’s quite something for a game to imprint on you as a blockbuster action experience in your teens, only to reveal some much more grounded undertones years later. <figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><img id="YPgmAu58yNbCmghv8NBtEk" name="Grand Theft Auto V_20261009113245" alt="A GTA V screenshot of a parked car" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YPgmAu58yNbCmghv8NBtEk-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout">GTA V still holds up well on PS4, though the PS5 edition's framerate boost is certainly a welcome one (Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)</figcaption></figure>That’s not to say that GTA 5 is any less of a spectacle than it was at launch. This is where Rockstar really started presenting its games as directed, cinematic experiences, a formula it perfected with the follow-up <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/red-dead-redemption-2-reviews">Red Dead Redemption 2</a>. Even the first few missions — sneaking into Michael’s mansion as Franklin, the boat chase just a few missions later, and of course the jewel store heist — are loaded with moments ripped straight out of Hollywood. And a near-endless render distance makes launching off of Mount Chiliad on a dirt bike seem terrifyingly real. It’s really quite amazing that GTA 5 originally launched on <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/games-consoles/sony-ps3-1099856/review">PlayStation 3</a>. My original disc has been lost to time, but looking at videos, the original holds up pretty well — despite its 720p resolution and graphical patina, it’s still entirely enjoyable today. And beyond graphics, its gameplay and world wouldn’t feel totally out of place in a 2026 release. The PS4 version holds up even better — I remember being stunned by Rockstar’s 2014 trailer for the remastered version of the game, which focused on new wildlife, non-player character (NPC) density, and graphical improvements. It’s the version of the game I’ve spent the most time in, thanks in large part to these updates, and it still feels utterly alive today. <h2 id="cultural-impact">Cultural impact</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2560px;"><img id="y6xAp75kyxamSn4iPv3sbc" name="WhatsApp Image 2026-10-09 at 11.42.39 (2)" alt="A GTA V screenshot of Franklin taking a selfie" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/y6xAp75kyxamSn4iPv3sbc-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2560" height="1440" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout">GTA V has won countless awards, but its most enduring impact is in a landslide of internet nonsense (Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)</figcaption></figure>Indeed, the massive reaction to GTA 6 proves that the Grand Theft Auto series is very much alive in the public consciousness, even if the long wait for its next entry rendered it dormant for a while. It’s worth remembering how totally dominant GTA 5’s hold over online culture has been, especially for the first five years of its life cycle. We’ve seen countless YouTube video essays debating Mount Chiliad conspiracy theories and in-game UFO sightings, let’s play channels dedicated to covering GTA Online’s endless updates, and scammy shitposters claiming to have early copies of GTA 6. Many of us will remember the mad dash to our gaming setups the day a new heist was added to GTA Online, or endless hours spent playing minigames and missions to grind for a new sports car or apartment. Then there are the memes. ‘Watch your jet’. ‘Davey!’. Franklin showing up to defend his home. The green vs purple alien war. The Welcome to Los Santos texts. ‘We got X before GTA 6’. As one of the most-played games in the world for its entire lifespan, GTA 5 has propped up the online nonsense industry for years, priming the algorithm for an inevitable landslide of GTA 6 content in about a month’s time. And as one of TechRadar’s contributing music nerds, I just have to talk about the radio stations. GTA 5 introduced me and thousands of others to some of the best music of the 2010s. I will never, ever forget the first time I raced Lamar through the streets of LS in a boosted sports car to the sound of ‘Appetite for Destruction’ by N.W.A., courtesy of West Coast Classics, or driving up to Paleto Bay to Frank Ocean’s Blonded Radio station, or idling in Vinewood while listening out for Cara Delevigne’s insane quips as the host of Non-Stop Pop. In large part, GTA 5 is responsible for my love of rap music, dance music, country music, and radio DJing, which I continue to utilise as a writer and musician today. <h2 id="where-do-we-go-from-here">Where do we go from here? </h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2560px;"><img id="GYuMWYtLa4yhwXqKcrLZ4K" name="WhatsApp Image 2026-10-09 at 11.42.41" alt="A game screenshot of a heist crew" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GYuMWYtLa4yhwXqKcrLZ4K-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2560" height="1440" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout">Rockstar scored a win with GTA V, but that doesn't mean it's without flaws (Image credit: Jamie Richards Future)</figcaption></figure>GTA 5 stands as a true titan of modern gaming and holds a deep-rooted place in my heart and hard drive alike. With that said, it’s not perfect, and jumping back into Los Santos left me with a couple of things that I hope GTA 6 can improve on. First of all, GTA 5 is, in part, a story about contemporary masculinity struggling and failing to cope with late-stage capitalism – but in telling this story, it treats its female characters horribly. The only female characters with any substance are Michael’s wife Amanda and daughter Tracey, and Franklin’s aunt Denise, all of whom are portrayed as whiny annoyances that serve as plot devices for the male characters to revolve around and objectify.In fairness, the game is a satire of American culture, which has no shortage of problems with sexism and objectification, and there’s an abundance of annoying male characters as well – neurotic heist-master Lester Crest and TV host Lazlo come to mind. But the game’s male characters get the chance to develop through or into their flaws, even if, as in Lazlo’s case, it’s only to become more of a punching bag.Rockstar has said it’s leading with a more grounded tone for GTA 6, and the game introduces the series’ first female protagonist, Lucia, which suggests we’ll be getting at least one fully realised female character. <figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2000px;"><img id="oDwGLwFoUo5ySw9kjKZnDo" name="Grand Theft Auto VI" alt="A Grand Theft Auto 6 screenshot provided by Rockstar Games." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oDwGLwFoUo5ySw9kjKZnDo-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2000" height="1125" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout">GTA VI protagonist Lucia is the first female lead in the series' modern history (Image credit: Rockstar Games)</figcaption></figure>Gamers’ expectations and the window for jokes about gender have both changed quite significantly since 2013, and GTA Online grew to feature several key female NPCs throughout the 2010s, so I’d be surprised if GTA 6’s other female characters don’t have a little more substance.We already know GTA 6 will introduce a hugely expanded map and RDR2-style role-playing mechanics, so my other request concerns how we get around that new immersive world. For lack of a better term, GTA 5 has a bit of jank about it – the ‘tap to sprint’ mechanic has never been anything but annoying, and its strange approach to climbing ledges and ragdoll physics is good for a laugh but not great in the heat of a firefight or police chase. Rockstar, with its infinite budgets and massive staff, is certainly powerful enough to smooth over the few bumps left in the GTA experience. With these complaints well considered, GTA 5 still stands tall over the gaming industry, not only as a titanic financial success, but as an enduring blueprint for open-world excellence. It remains a totally gripping gameplay experience and, despite some dated writing, a genuinely cinematic heist adventure. In short, GTA 6 has a lot to live up to. </article> ]]>

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