How GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced Edition might change things for Rockstar Games

Rockstar Games has been on a roll in the last few years, especially when it comes to the GTA franchise. While the studio has witnessed the odd, unsuccessful console exclusive, such as GTA Advance, the franchise has rarely ever had a bad entry.

Rockstar Games has been able to maintain a level of consistency that most publishers can only dream of. This kind of consistency has been a result of an unwavering dedication to vision as well as a conviction to follow through on their ambitions and plans.

The GTA franchise and Rockstar Games have always had unwavering support from the fanbase. Yet, the publisher uncharacteristically received a ton of pushback and criticism last year as a result of a single announcement.

GTA 5: Expanded and Enhanced Edition

While not even the most optimistic of fans expected Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 at the PS5 Reveal Event, few could have expected the left turn that the studio took.

Instead of announcing a new game, let alone GTA 6, Rockstar decided to kick off the massively anticipated PS5 Reveal Event with a trailer for Grand Theft Auto 5.

Many fans were initially confused as to what they were seeing and wondered whether it was an expansion on Story Mode. The trailer ended with a confusing subtitle that hinted at an "Expanded and Enhanced Edition" for GTA 5. As far as fans are concerned, all of that could simply be marketing jargon to sell more copies of what is perhaps one of the highest-selling games of all time.

Whether the "Expanded and Enhanced" edition will be able to deliver on either of the two promises remains to be seen. While it isn't nearly as appealing as a new title, perhaps Rockstar has major plans for the game that it isn't yet ready to unveil.

How will the GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced Edition change things for Rockstar Games?

Playing it safe with the next-gen consoles

A new console launch is certainly exciting, but it is also an extremely high-pressure situation for developers and publishers. New hardware always presents new challenges. New dev kits often prove to be challenging, as evidenced by the notoriously difficult PlayStation 3.

A game as massive as GTA 6 is surely going to take a lot of time to develop. Considering how Rockstar went through a major cycle with Red Dead Redemption 2, the studio is now recharging its batteries. In a bid to avoid the public shaming that comes along with an excruciating crunch period, Rockstar will be looking to avoid a similar situation again.

So, in an attempt to space out their big titles a bit more, GTA 5: Expanded and Enhanced Edition for next-gen consoles might be a smart move. This way, players will at least have a GTA game with updated tech on new consoles, and Rockstar can chip away at a sequel in the background. A win-win for both parties.

This also allows devs to get familiar with the dev kits for new consoles, so as to not run into any major problems with Grand Theft Auto 6.

The past is a well

Depending on how successful this remaster will be, it could open up new possibilities, especially with regards to older games in the series like the original PS2 trilogy and even GTA 4. As of now, players have no way of playing Grand Theft Auto 4 on their PS4 (PS Now doesn't count).

If the new remaster is indeed successful, it will essentially give Rockstar the greenlight to work on more remasters for older games. Even a remake might be in order for older titles. Remakes like Mafia and Resident Evil have proven that fans are eager to revisit older titles with new tech.

GTA arguably has one of the strongest catalogs in gaming, and it will certainly be interesting to see what Rockstar decides to do in the future.