Grand Theft Auto V’s PC release has been a long time coming. Rockstar Games recently stated that a PC version of the game had always been planned but the console versions took priority. There’s been plenty of time to work on it then, so does the PC version of GTA V impress or disappoint?
First and foremost, as you would expect the PC version is the best-looking of the lot. Despite the Xbox One and PS4 having much more advanced architecture than their predecessors, they still fail to match up to high-end PC’s in terms of performance.
However, I wouldn’t say that the difference between the current-gen console versions and the PC version is huge, graphically. Had the PC version of the game shipped alongside the product’s initial release on the Xbox 360 and PS3 back in 2013, gamers would have been overwhelmed by its graphical prowess and the console versions would have been deemed hugely inferior. Despite Microsoft and SONY’s latest systems not quite matching the power of a high end PC, they certainly come close and it’s actually fairly difficult to spot the difference between GTA V running on PC when compared to an Xbox One or PS4 copy of the game.
In this sense, GTA V on the PC leaves a fairly bitter taste in my mouth. Don’t get me wrong, it looks absolutely gorgeous – every version of the game has – but with all the hype and build up I thought it was going to look even better. Call me picky, but I can honestly say that when I recently saw a video on YouTube of the game running on a high-end PC followed by a low-end one, I actually thought that the clip taken from the high-end PC was the low-end one.
Perhaps I expected too much, but when a game is released on seven disks and has a 65GB install, I think I have every right to predict that the game will be leagues ahead of it’s console sisters. As it happens, the difference between the Xbox One version and the Xbox 360 version is greater than the difference between the Xbox One version and the PC version, from what I can tell.
Nevertheless, thankfully the PC port of GTA V isn’t just about the visuals. A new feature which allows players to edit clips of their gameplay and publish them to the Rockstar Social Club with ease – namely the Rockstar Editor – will most likely breed a plethora of fantastically edited, well put together short movies that will no doubt be entertaining to watch. Rockstar has clearly focused on this feature extensively as it appears to be extremely intuitive and customizable, making it much easier to create and edit videos than it ever was with GTA IV on the PC. As a matter of fact, the ‘first’ approved video has already been published, showing off fine cinematography and expert artistry. Check out Running, Man by 8-Bit Bastard below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ITAnNzj-zg]All in all, I can’t help but feel a bit empty handed. GTA V on the PC is the definitive version of the game, but will also be the most costly in terms of equipment required meaning that it cannot be recommended for everyone. Moreover, with the exception of the Rockstar Editor it’s difficult to warrant buying the game if you have already played it on console. When the Xbox One/PS4 versions of the game were released, we had more new features such as the ability to play as animals as well as tons of new easter eggs and secrets. GTA V on PC then, feels a bit like an afterthought as opposed to something that has had years in production. Regardless, here’s hoping the community can help the Rockstar Editor ensure that GTA V on PC is worth every penny.