Even though the release of GTA VI is imminent, that doesn’t mean that the current generation of Grand Theft Auto, GTA V, isn’t still relevant or widely played. That’s probably why, in light of GTA VI being on the horizon, the PC edition of GTA V is getting a big upgrade on March 4th – and it’s completely free. The main focus of this upgrade involve carrying over features from GTA V Online that until now was only available for those who played on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
There’s a lot in this upgrade, so let’s look at everything that’s included in the free upgrade for GTA V on PC.
What’s New for PC?
Whether you’re an existing GTA V player on PC or new to the game, there’s a lot of new content you can look forward to with this upgrade. You can expect to get the following:
- A range of new vehicles and upgrades available at Hao’s Special Works, plus ways to test your driving skills with Premium Test Rides, Races, and Time Trials.
- Discover animals across southern San Andreas and photograph them to take part in the daily Wildlife Photography Challenge to get new rewards.
- PC players will be able to sign up for GTA+ Membership to access special benefits in the upgraded version of GTA Online.
- With the Career Progress feature, you will be able to track your criminal movements as you build your empire in GTA Online.
- The PC upgrade comes with a new Landing Page when you load the game.
- New players who start as an Executive, Gunrunner, Biker, or Nightclub Owner in Career Builder mode will get a GTA$4,000,000 windfall to allow them to buy property, vehicles, and more.
- Other upgrades for GTA V on PC include kernel-based anti-cheat protections and pro-active voice moderation for when playing GTA Online.
This is just a tip of the iceberg from what PC players can expect from their new GTA V experience. Let’s see what else is available.
Want cars? Then you need Hao’s Special Works.
Hao’s Special Works
If you like cars in GTA V, then you’ll like this upgrade. Hao’s Special Works auto shop will now be available on PC. This is located inside the LS Car Meet. Here, you can give select vehicles the best upgrades. Plus, with the PC upgrade, you get five new vehicles previously only available through Xbox and PlayStation. These vehicles are:
- Coil Cyclone II (Super)
- Imponte Arbiter GT (Muscle)
- Karin S95 (Sports)
- Pegassi Weaponized Ignus (Super)
- Pfister Astron Custom (SUV)
You don’t just get new vehicles and upgrades. Hao’s Special Works also includes a selection of premium vehicles available for tuning, in which can be tried out in weekly rotational Races, Time Trials, and Premium Test Rides. These include:
- Super: Principe Deveste Eight, Överflöd Entity MT
- Sports: Bravado Banshee, Bravado Banshee GTS, Grotti Itali GTO Stinger TT, Penaud La Coureuse, Übermacht Niobe
- Sports Classic: Benefactor Stirling GT, Grotti Turismo Classic
- Muscle: Bravado Buffalo EVX, Declasse Vigero ZX, Declasse Vigero ZX Convertible
- Coupe: Annis Euros X32, Übermacht Sentinel XS
- Off-Road: Maibatsu MonstroCiti, Vapid Firebolt ASP
- SUV: Karin Vivanite, Weeny Issi Rally
- Motorcycle: Shitzu Hakuchou Drag
- Compact: Grotti Brioso R/A
Technical Enhancements on PC
There couldn’t be a PC upgrade for GTA V without also enhancing the game’s technical abilities. The following upgrades is dependant on player’s individual hardware support and limitations:
- Ray tracing such as ambient occlusion and global illumination, and ray traced shadows and reflections that was first available on consoles.
- Support for AMD FSR1 and FSR3, and NVIDIA DLSS 3.
- Faster loading times with SSD and DirectStorage on supported devices and configurations.
- Enhanced support for higher resolutions, higher aspect ratios, and higher framerates.
- Support for DualSense controller, with adaptive triggers.
- Enhanced audio with Dolby Atmos support and improved fidelity of speech, cinematics, and music.
The upgraded PC version also includes technical upgrades.
Recommended Specs for GTA V PC Upgraded
Specs for computers can vary, and with this upgrade for GTA V on PC, it’s important for players to know if their devices can support these changes. This is what the specifications are, including minimum and recommended:
Minimum
- Operating System: Windows 10 (latest service pack)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-4770 or AMD FX-9590
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (4GB VRAM) or AMD Radeon RX 6400 (4GB VRAM)
- Storage: 105GB, SSD required
- Sound Card & Audio: 100% DirectX 10 compatible
Recommended
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Processor: Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Memory: 16GB Dual-Channel Configuration RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (8GB VRAM) or AMD Radeon RX 6600XT (8GB VRAM)
- Storage: 105GB, DirectStorage compatible drive
- Sound Card & Audio: Windows Spatial Sound compatible audio system; solution containing Dolby Atmos support required for a Dolby Atmos experience.
Check that your PC can handle the upgraded version’s specs.
GTA+ Membership
With the new upgraded version, players will be able to purchase for the first time on PC GTA+, which is GTA Online‘s premium Membership service.
With GTA+, you get access to special benefits, such as GTA$ to get $500,000 every month into your GTA Online bank account. You’ll also get Member-only Shark Cards with 15% bonus GTA$.
GTA+ also includes special benefits at The Vinewood Club, such as free-to-claim vehicles, access to The Vinewood Club Garage, where you can store up to 100 vehicles and includes its own vehicle workshop, a Vinewood Club App on your in-game phone to request vehicles, claim outstanding business safe earnings, refill ammo, and more.
That’s not all! GTA+ also brings benefits for GTA Online with gameplay incentives, special vehicle customizations, and in-game apparel options.
You can also get classic Rockstar Games titles to download and play in the GTA+ Games Library. These games include:
- Bully
- Red Dead Redemption
- Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition
- L.A. Noire
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.
Signing up to GTA+ grants you special benefits, such as Shark Cards.
Support for Previous PC Version
If you cannot upgrade to the new version of GTA V on PC and your device doesn’t meet the minimum requirements, don’t worry. Support for the previous version will continue so you can carry on playing. This means you will also continue to get support for FiveM.
Be aware though that the previous version of GTA Online on PC will be a separate entity to the new upgraded version, meaning that players with different versions will not be able to play together. If you want to play with others, players in the same group must have the same version of GTA Online, either all parties having the previous version or the new upgraded one.
Additionally, this means that if you do upgrade to the new version of GTA Online on PC, you will also have access to the previous version. This applies to both new and existing players, allowing you to play with those who have either the previous or new versions.
That just about covers everything. Look out for the upgraded PC edition of GTA V and GTA Online on March 4th, which will be made available for free.
