Aside of these improvements, Expanded & Enhanced also heralds a new age for the hit multiplayer mode GTA Online, as it goes standalone and detaches itself from the story mode experience. Buying GTA 5 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S still gets you Online, but you can also buy into the multiplayer game on its own - it’s free to keep on PlayStation 5 for the next three months, too.
It seems that the port is light on new content, focusing rather on technical updates across the board - loading times, a long standing gripe with the title, have been radically reduced, with some reports indicating waiting periods being halved on PlayStation 5 compared to previous versions. There is also a full suite of graphical improvements to enjoy, bringing 4K - both real and upscaled - and 60 FPS support, as well as HDR, improved textures, enhanced particle effects and improved lighting and reflections. Depending on which console you play on, you will have access to different graphical presets which prioritize either performance or visuals. As GTA Online splits off to live its own life (and hopefully speed up the arrival of GTA 6 now that 5 is off the hook) it gets its first content update in Hao’s Special Works. Previously when GTA 5 jumped to a new generation, it maintained content updates on the previous one concurrently at least for a while, but HSW is already E&E exclusive. Whether this will apply to all upcoming updates or not remains to be seen. Online also introduces the Career Builder, a much needed utility to help new players catch up with the 8 years of DLC that has been constantly fed into the game, making it quite the daunting prospect for fresh faces being dropped into it all. GTA 5 and Online are out now on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
