GTA 5 Enhanced vs Legacy PC versions, explained - car running away from police
Image via Rockstar GAmes

GTA 5 Enhanced vs Legacy PC versions, explained

What is going on?

With Rockstar announcing the arrival of a new and improved GTA V version, many have been confused and wondered just what is going on. Is this new version replacing the old one? What’s actually different? We will tell you all about GTA 5 Enhanced vs the Legacy version.

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What is GTA V enhanced?

The enhanced version of GTA V is an improved version of the game, announced by Rockstar on February 20, that is going live on March 4. This new version will include several improvements over the original version such as:

  • A new range of special vehicles previously only available in the PS5 and Xbox versions.
  • Possibility to sign up for a GTA+ membership.
  • A daily Wildlife Photography Challenge where you can take pictures of ambient animals to win rewards.
  • Faster loading times.
  • Ray tracing support as a PC version exclusive.
  • Support for higher resolutions and higher framerates and aspect ratios.
  • Full support for DualShock controllers.
Image via Rockstar Games

Also, new to the PC version, players will be able to sign up for GTA+, the premium membership service of GTA Online, that offers several benefits such as a recurrent monthly deposit of GTA$500,000 and Member-only Shark Cards with a bonus of 15% GTA$.

GTA V Enhanced VS Legacy PC version

This new version will not override the old one, the two versions will sit alongside one another in your library, so you can still play the Legacy PC one should you want to.

Still, once you run the Enhanced version you can do a one-time migration process which will import all of your Online progress within Enhanced. That also includes your SP progress. Rockstar also confirmed that the two versions will co-exist as far as online is concerned, but separately.

This means you won’t be able to play online with people playing the Enhanced version if you are playing the Legacy one and vice-versa. PC Players will need to use the same version if they want to play together.

Image via Rockstar Games

If you already own GTA V, you will get the new Enhanced version automatically so you don’t have to do anything. Rockstar confirmed that both versions will be available to everyone, and new buyers will also get access to both versions.

It is not clear, as of now, whether the Enhanced version will see a slight price hike, bringing it closer to the current price of the PS5 version.

Which GTA V version should you play?

Overall, we have no doubts about playing the GTA V enhanced version. Not only does it load faster and look better, but it also takes up less space, acts better on Windows 10/11, and gives you quite a bit more content with new vehicles and upgrades.

Still, naturally, that doesn’t mean you are forced to play this new version, especially if you are playing on an older PC that might struggle to run it. You don’t want to be forced into a laggy and stuttering mess, just to enjoy a bit of new content. If your PC can’t make it, absolutely stay with the Legacy version, Rockstar guarantees it will still support it so you can still play online without issues.


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Author
Image of Damiano Gerli
Damiano Gerli
Damiano Gerli is a gaming historian and freelance journalist, born with a faithful Commodore 64 by his side. He has been writing about games for more than twenty years with articles on gaming history published on Kotaku, PC Gamer, PcGamesN and Retro Gamer magazine. Loves playing Ace Attorney and the Like a Dragon series plus, of course, anything retro. Say hi to him on Bluesky on damiano.bsky.social and his blog https://genesistemple.com.