GTA 6 vs GTA 5: what's actually different

GTA V came out in September 2013, and it's still one of the most played games in the world. Its sequel, Grand Theft Auto VI, arrives on 19 November 2026, more than 13 years later. So what's actually changing?

There's a lot of guesswork online about map sizes, frame rates and secret features. This comparison only lists differences that Rockstar, Take-Two or the official PlayStation and Xbox stores have confirmed. Anything else is clearly marked unconfirmed. Details were checked on 2 November 2026.

GTA 6 vs GTA 5 at a glance

Setting and map

GTA V is set in the state of San Andreas: the city of Los Santos, a satire of Los Angeles, and the countryside of Blaine County.

GTA VI goes back to Vice City, Rockstar's version of Miami, last visited in 2002's Vice City and 2006's Vice City Stories. This time it sits inside a whole state called Leonida, based on Florida. Rockstar's official site lists six regions: Vice City, the Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and Mount Kalaga National Park. That means islands, wetlands, a beach town, farmland and a national park, all on top of the city.

Rockstar calls GTA VI "the biggest, most immersive evolution of the series yet," in Take-Two's pre-order announcement.

Unconfirmed: how much bigger the map is than GTA V's. Rockstar hasn't published a map size, and the fan maps you'll see online are estimates.

Protagonists

GTA V has three playable leads: Michael, a retired bank robber; Franklin, a young hustler; and Trevor, a violent wildcard. You can switch between them at almost any time.

GTA VI has two: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, a couple introduced by name in Trailer 2 in May 2025. In Rockstar's store description, they "have always known the deck is stacked against them," and when an easy score goes wrong they have to "rely on each other more than ever" to survive a conspiracy spread across Leonida (Xbox Store).

So GTA V is a story about three men who barely trust each other, while GTA VI is about a partnership.

Unconfirmed: whether you can switch freely between Jason and Lucia the way you could in GTA V. Rockstar hasn't explained how switching works.

Platforms

This is the biggest practical difference for Indian players.

GTA V is available almost everywhere: it launched on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, then came to PS4, Xbox One and PC, and to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in March 2022. Since June 2026, anyone who owns GTA V on PS4, or digitally on Xbox One, can upgrade to the PS5 or Xbox Series version for free (Rockstar Support).

GTA VI runs only on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. PlayStation says it "will only be playable on PlayStation 5 consoles" (PlayStation India). There's no PS4 or Xbox One version, and no PC version has been announced.

If you play on a PS4 or a gaming laptop, GTA V will run on it and GTA VI won't. A gaming café with a PS5 is the easiest way around that.

Price

GTA VI costs ₹5,999 for the Standard Edition and ₹7,499 for the Ultimate Edition on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store in India. In the US it's $79.99 and $99.99. Digital pre-orders also get a free month of GTA+, and every purchase before 20 November includes the Vintage Vice City Pack. All the details are in our GTA 6 launch explainer.

GTA V's price varies by platform, edition and store, so check the current listing before you buy. GTA V's story mode is also part of the GTA+ Games Library, according to Rockstar's June 2026 announcement (Game Informer).

Online

GTA V comes with GTA Online, which has been updated for more than a decade. The most recent big update, The Kortz Center Heist, arrived in July 2026.

GTA VI is single-player at launch. Take-Two calls it "a single-player title" and says it will "continue to support GTA Online after GTA 6 release and beyond" (Game Rant).

Unconfirmed: whether GTA VI will get its own online mode, and when. Rockstar hasn't announced one. See GTA Online in 2026: is it still worth playing? for the current state of play.

Graphics and technology

GTA V on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S supports up to 4K resolution, HDR, ray tracing and up to 60 frames per second. The PS5 version also adds DualSense haptics and 3D audio. On PC, the free Enhanced edition adds ray-traced ambient occlusion and global illumination.

GTA VI is built for current-generation hardware only. Rockstar said Trailer 2 was "captured entirely in-game on a PlayStation 5," with gameplay and cutscenes in roughly equal parts (Eurogamer, via the Internet Archive). The PlayStation Store lists it as PS5 Pro Enhanced and notes DualSense vibration and trigger effects.

Unconfirmed: GTA VI's resolution, frame rate and graphics modes on each console, and its download size. Rockstar hasn't published them.

Release timeline

So should you skip GTA V now?

Not necessarily. GTA V is still the only way to play GTA with friends online, it runs on far more hardware, and its story holds up. If you're waiting for a PS5 slot, our guide to playing GTA V at a gaming café while you wait for GTA 6 is a good place to start.

FAQ

Is GTA 6 bigger than GTA 5? Rockstar calls GTA 6 the "biggest, most immersive evolution of the series yet," but it hasn't confirmed the map size, so there's no official comparison.

Can you play GTA 6 on PS4 like GTA 5? No. GTA 6 is PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only.

Does GTA 6 have online like GTA 5? Not at launch. GTA 6 is single-player, and GTA Online continues on GTA V.

Who are the main characters in GTA 6? Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. GTA V had three leads: Michael, Franklin and Trevor.

Is GTA 6 more expensive than GTA 5? GTA 6 costs ₹5,999 for the Standard Edition in India. GTA V's price depends on the store and edition, so compare the current listings.