A promotion of the heist order.

Image credit: Rockstar Games

In a surprise move, Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games is giving players of GTA 5 on PS4 or Xbox One a free upgrade to GTA 5 on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S.

The offer is available to owners of any PS4 version of GTA 5 - physical or digital - but it's only for owners of the digital version on Xbox One. The same upgrade offer is also available to PC players, who can upgrade from the Legacy version of GTA 5 to the Enhanced version completely free.

Rockstar released upgraded versions of GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S back in 2022. At the time, the studio boasted about a range of upgrades on current-gen consoles, including a new fidelity mode with up to 4K resolution and support for frame-rates of 60 FPS. The updated versions also take advantage of the consoles' faster storage, 3D audio support, and DualSense haptic feedback.

Before today's news, you'd have needed to spend £35/$40 on a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S copy if you wanted the game on current-gen consoles. When the upgraded versions were initially released, Rockstar offered a limited-time £8/$10 upgrade path, as well as discounted bundles that have also since been removed.

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If you decide to take advantage of the offer, you should know that you can migrate your GTA 5 story progress and GTA Online progress from PS4 and Xbox One to their respective, current-gen follow-up, so you won't be losing years of playtime. This is a straightforward, one-time process.

The news arrives alongside early details of the next big GTA Online update, which is adding, among other things, a new heist to the game. Rockstar shared early details about The Kortz Center Heist, detailing how it will let you rob the eponymous gallery of its most prized works of art. The heist will arrive alongside a big update in July, and will be available to GTA Online players on last-gen consoles as well in case you're not interested in upgrading for free.

Of course, this move also comes a few months before the incredibly high profile release of Grand Theft Auto 6, which will only be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Perhaps this is an encouraging nudge to migrate players to the newer platforms ahead of its arrival.

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