It’s sort of ridiculous when you think about it. Grand Theft Auto 5 is almost 10 years old, and now dominating its third generation of consoles – a dynasty with no children. Sure, there are comparably successful games: League of Legends, for instance, has lasted my entire decade in games journalism without beginning to fade away. But GTA 5 wasn’t a live service. Not when it launched; not really. In 2013, GTA Online was what you played if you wanted to have a really shit day in Los Santos, punctuated by repetitive missions and lost data. It took long years to get into shape, like Michael De Santa huffing and puffing through his yoga class. If the online mode that has become Rockstar’s cash cow had been GTA 5’s only offering at launch, it would have gone the way of APB: All Points Bulletin.
Instead, as the sun sets on Prime Day, GTA 5 is on sale on PS5 in the US, and on every other platform you can think of in both North America and the UK – spurring another flurry of purchases for the Rockstar game that keeps on giving, both to players and to Sam Houser, who in 2020 was listed alongside his brother Dan in the Sunday Times Rich List (£310m combined, since you asked).
So what’s been GTA 5’s secret? In truth, there’s no one answer, but instead a host of little things that the solo game did better than anything else for a long, long time.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
The way that supporting characters stopped speaking when interrupted by fender benders out in the open world, then naturalistically picked up the conversation by returning to the start of their sentence, has only recently been mimicked by Rockstar’s AAA peers. Other open world driving games still don’t have the convincingly irregular road surfaces of Los Santos – a quirk which makes its street races highly skill-based and surprisingly contemplative affairs. Then there’s my favorite feature: the way cutscenes start without you even noticing, as casually as a thought entering your head.
“We are hopefully treading ground that hasn’t been trodden before and finding a better way of treading it each time,” Dan Houser told The Guardian in 2013. “And I don’t just necessarily mean as writers, but as technicians in terms of things like how we use the cameras to get you in and out of cutscenes, the seamless interrelation of cutscenes and the game, things like that. We’ve made so much progression – we’ve got better tech and better technicians working on it.”
Alone, none of these details would ensure a 10-year shelf life for a game. But GTA 5 was stuffed with so many that even a global industry of AAA developers – used to borrowing and iterating on the ideas of their peers – couldn’t overtake. Competing with Rockstar’s bottomless budget and unique history with the open world genre, rivals had to pick their fights, gradually catching up to what GTA had established as next-next-gen best practice. That’s why, even as the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S launched, everything that should have felt antiquated about GTA 5 didn’t.
There are limits, and soon, Los Santos will start to look its years – just like poor, uncomfortably middle-aged Michael. But by then, there’ll be GTA 6, and the catch-up process will begin anew. The street race against Rockstar’s souped-up supercar never ends.
US deals
Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS5): $39.99 $19.99 at Amazon
Save 50% – You know what it is by now: the open world crime simulator that has seen off every competitor it ever had. GTA 5 of course comes with access to GTA Online, which at this price is a very cheap way to swan around fake LA pretending you’re incredibly rich. And, unlikely as it sounds, to hear new music from Dr Dre.
Grand Theft Auto 5 Premium Edition (PS4) $29.99 $23.06 at Amazon
Save 23% – You know what it is by now: the open world crime simulator that has seen off every competitor it ever had. GTA 5 of course comes with access to GTA Online, which at this price is a very cheap way to swan around fake LA pretending you’re incredibly rich. And, unlikely as it sounds, to hear new music from Dr Dre.View Deal
Grand Theft Auto 5 Premium Edition (Xbox One): $29.99 $20.97 at Amazon
Save 30% – You know what it is by now: the open world crime simulator that has seen off every competitor it ever had. GTA 5 of course comes with access to GTA Online, which at this price is a very cheap way to swan around fake LA pretending you’re incredibly rich. And, unlikely as it sounds, to hear new music from Dr Dre.View Deal
UK deals
Grand Theft Auto 5 Premium Edition (Xbox One): £24.99 £12.97 at Amazon
Save 48% – You know what it is by now: the open world crime simulator that has seen off every competitor it ever had. GTA 5 of course comes with access to GTA Online, which at this price is a very cheap way to swan around fake LA pretending you’re incredibly rich. And, unlikely as it sounds, to hear new music from Dr Dre.View Deal
Grand Theft Auto 5 Premium Edition (PS4): £24.99 £13.95 at Amazon
Save 44% – You know what it is by now: the open world crime simulator that has seen off every competitor it ever had. GTA 5 of course comes with access to GTA Online, which at this price is a very cheap way to swan around fake LA pretending you’re incredibly rich. And, unlikely as it sounds, to hear new music from Dr Dre.View Deal
More GTA 5 deals
No matter where you live, you’ll find all the lowest prices for GTA 5 around the web right here, with offers available in your region.
More Prime Day deals in the US
Alexa devices: Fire TV Sticks from $12 and moreAdidas: 50% off sneakers and sportswear Apple: Apple Watch 7 at cheapest price yetBack to school: backpacks and stationery discountsCell phones: $100 off the Google Pixel 6College essentials: bedding, decor and cleaning saleCooling: portable fans from $16.99Fashion: 66% off clothing, shoes and jewelryGroceries: up to 40% off coffee and food essentialsHeadphones: up to $125 off Sony headphones and earbudsHome: Levoit Air Purifier for $42.49Instant Pot: up to 29% offKindle: up to 50% off ereader bundlesKitchen: up to $120 off blenders, coffee makers and moreLaptops: $200 off 14-inch MacBook ProMattresses: $490 off Casper mattressesPS5: register for the next PS5 restockSecurity: Blink Home Security bundles from $44.99Smart home: Echo Show 5 smart display for $34.99Smartwatch: Amazon Halo View up to 55% offSpeakers: JBL portable speakers from $29.95Storage: up to 39% off Samsung SSDsTablets: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 – save up to $120TVs: Smart TVs from $89Vacuums: save on Shark, iRobot and Bissell
More Prime Day deals in the UK
Amazon devices: up to 65% off Echo Dot and Fire TV CubeAdidas: 30% off some sportswear and trainersApple: save up to £150 on iPads and Apple WatchesBack to school: backpacks and stationery from £1.50Beauty: save on Rimmel, Revlon, Olay, and more top brandsCoffee machines: starting at just £19 with up to 60% offCheap Fire tablets: Amazon Fire tablets starting at £34.99Dental: 57% off Oral-B and Philips electric toothbrushesFashion: 40% off Vans, Hugo Boss, Wrangler, and other brandsFire TV Stick: lowest price yet on all modelsGroceries: £10 off your first three grocery shopsGrooming & hair care: 60% off Philips, Remmington shavers & straightenersHeadphones: Sony and Bose headphones at lowest-ever pricesKindle: 25% off Kindle ereader bundlesLaptops: 15% off Microsoft, Huawei, Acer, and Asus laptopsPhones: Google Pixel 6 lowest ever price, OnePlus, MotorolaPS5: Dualsense deals, plus savings on leading gamesSecurity: £180 off Ring Home Security bundlesSmart home: £144 off Ring and Echo bundlesSmartwatch: up to 50% off Garmin watches and trackersTablets: 41% off Samsung, Lenovo, and Huawei tabletsTools: 49% off some Bosch tools and garden itemsTVs: 4K TVs starting at just £199 with half-price dealsVacuums: 35% off Shark cordless vacsXbox: Xbox Series X in stock for £449
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