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GTA VI vs GTA V

Quick answer

GTA VI is the next-gen spectacle with a female protagonist and massive ambition, but GTA V is a proven, content-rich legend available on everything. If you own a capable machine and want the future, go VI. If you want depth right now, V still slaps.

GTA VI
Rockstar's billion-dollar bet on Vice City 2.0
4
VS
Our pick
GTA V
The game that refused to die — and for good reason
4.4
Release Year
2025 (PS5/XSX)
2013 (multi-gen)
Platforms
PS5, Xbox Series X/S (PC TBA)
PS3 through PS5, Xbox, PC
Price at Launch
~$70
$10-30 (often on sale)
Protagonist(s)
Lucia + male co-lead
Michael, Trevor, Franklin
Map Size
Larger than GTA V (confirmed)
~49 sq miles of playable space
GTA Online Included
New online mode (details TBA)
GTA Online — 10+ years of content
Mods Support
Unknown / likely limited at launch
Massive PC modding community
Story Length
Est. 40-60 hrs
~30 hrs main story
NPC AI
Next-gen reactive AI (Rockstar confirmed)
Basic by modern standards
Setting
Vice City (Miami-inspired)
Los Santos (LA-inspired)
Required Hardware
PS5 / Xbox Series X/S minimum
Runs on decade-old hardware
Metacritic Score
TBD
97/100 (PS3 original)

GTA VI

Value for Money★★★½
Open World Scale★★★★★
Content at Launch★★★½
Graphics & Visuals★★★★★
Story & Characters★★★★½
Multiplayer & Online★★★★½
Performance & Optimization★★★½

GTA V

Value for Money★★★★★
Open World Scale★★★★
Content at Launch★★★★★
Graphics & Visuals★★★½
Story & Characters★★★★½
Multiplayer & Online★★★★
Performance & Optimization★★★★½

Worth knowing

GTA V made back its $265M development budget in just 3 days — GTA VI looked at that and said 'hold my Sprunk.'

If you want

You want the most visually stunning, ambitious open-world experience of 2025

GTA VI is built ground-up for new hardware with a bigger world, smarter AI, and a groundbreaking protagonist.

→ Pick GTA VI
If you want

You want hundreds of hours of content available right now on almost any device

GTA V plus a decade of GTA Online updates is an absurd value proposition that VI can't match at launch.

→ Pick GTA V
If you want

You're on PC or don't own a next-gen console

GTA VI has no confirmed PC date and skips last-gen entirely — GTA V runs on basically anything.

→ Pick GTA V
If you want

You care about story and character writing above all else

Three protagonist stories with distinct personalities and stellar writing — VI is promising but unproven.

→ Pick GTA V
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