Possible reasons why Rockstar dropped "Expanded and Enhanced" from GTA 5's next-gen port

GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced was announced way back in 2021 and was set for November 2021. However, things took a turn for the worse, and the delays kicked in. The game was finally announced to be released on March 15.

Rockstar's latest Newswire post spills the beans on the features coming with the upgraded version for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

It was recently revealed that Rockstar decided to drop the 'Expanded and Enhanced' phrase from the name and call it GTA 5 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

This left a lot of fans confused, and this article will help clear the air a bit. Let's try and point out why Rockstar dropped the phrase.

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Why Rockstar dropped 'Expanded and Enhanced' from the GTA 5 name?

During the interview, journalist Cade Onder was explicitly told by Rockstar that the new edition is not called Expanded and Enhanced. It is just GTA 5. The span of the E&E discussion and talks amongst fans and Rockstar started way back in June 2021. Rockstar has been using the phrase in its posts, and gamers picked it up soon enough.

However, the past two Newswire posts (February 4 and March 4) did not mention the phrase even once while entirely discussing the upcoming version. Gamers have been trying to decode as to why that is.

A while back, the Definitive Edition of the GTA Trilogy was released, and it received many bad reviews from angry fans. The games were labeled trash and a lazy attempt at a cash grab. The movement grew to become quite extensive. Gamers from all corners were sharing harsh words with Rockstar in their crosshairs.

After that entire fiasco, Rockstar might have decided not to give fans any more expectations from their side. The phrase 'Expanded and Enhanced' implied additional content and enhanced visuals for all gamers across the board.

Rockstar was quick to take note of this and decided to drop the phrase altogether. This is because the new edition is simply a PC port that can be played on consoles with Ray Tracing, 3D Audio, Adaptive Triggers (PS5), Hao's Special Works, and a few cars.

It has nowhere near enough content to qualify as an expansion in any book. Another solid assumption the fans are making is that the Cayo Perico and Contract DLC were originally supposed to be a part of E&E, but were pushed out early to calm the fans down as the Trilogy failed and GTA 6 demands kept rising.

The Contract DLC for GTA Online was released without any major announcements. This is not how Rockstar typically does things. It now feels like the DLC was pushed out early just to distract fans from the delay of E&E.

If the Cayo Perico and Contract DLC were a part of the game, then the E&E name would have been ok. But after what was learned from the March 4th Newswire, it is anything but Expanded.