Rockstar's latest update to Grand Theft Auto 5, known as GTA 5 Enhanced, has not been well-received by the Steam community since its launch in early March. Released on March 4, the game has garnered a 'mixed' user review rating on Steam, with only 54% of the 19,772 reviews being positive. This is a stark contrast to the original GTA 5 on Steam, which, despite being unlisted at Rockstar's request, boasts a 'very positive' rating.
Interestingly, GTA 5 Enhanced has the lowest user review score among all GTA titles on Steam, even falling below Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition, which sits at 66% positive reviews. GTA 5 Enhanced offers a free upgrade for PC players, bringing features previously exclusive to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S versions of GTA Online. These include access to Hao’s Special Works for the latest vehicles and performance upgrades, animal encounters, and the ability to purchase a GTA+ Membership, along with enhanced graphics and quicker load times. All existing PC owners of GTA 5 can upgrade for free and transfer their Story Mode and Online progress.
Every Celebrity in GTA 5 and GTA Online
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Despite these enhancements, the account migration process has been a significant source of frustration for many players, contributing to the bulk of the negative feedback. Several users have reported issues with migrating their profiles, with one player expressing their disappointment vividly: "‘The GTA Online profile associated with this Rockstar Games account is not eligible for migration at this time,’ If you think I'm throwing away nearly 700 hours of gameplay on one character so that you can make a few more bucks off me, then you can lick my anal orifice clean. This is an objective downgrade from the ‘old’ version. Gonna pretend this was never released and continue to enjoy Legacy version until the new game comes out when I'm 60."
Another user lamented, "I'm leaving a negative review mainly due to Rockstar deciding that some accounts should arbitrarily not be able to migrate, and if you ask for help from support, they just say they can't do anything about it." A third added, "I can't migrate either of my two accounts. R* support is completely useless and can't help. With the game being over 10 years old I am sure as hell not going to completely restart all my progress in Online just to get marginally better graphics (if that) and HSW and whatever other minuscule stuff they added."
Despite these challenges, GTA 5 Enhanced remains popular, with a peak concurrent player count of 187,059 on Steam since its launch. However, the issues have raised concerns among PC gamers about the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6, particularly regarding potential launch problems.
GTA 6 is slated for a fall 2025 release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, with no initial plans for a PC version. This has left PC gamers feeling sidelined. In December 2023, a former Rockstar developer attempted to clarify why GTA 6 would first launch on consoles, urging PC gamers to trust the studio's strategy.
For more on GTA 6, check out Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick's comments on the future of GTA Online post-GTA 6 launch. Additionally, Take-Two has taken legal action against PlayerAuctions, accusing the platform of hosting unauthorized GTA 5 content, including modified accounts and virtual currency obtained through cheating and exploits.
In other news, Rockstar has recently acquired Video Games Deluxe, the developer behind Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, and rebranded it as Rockstar Australia.
