Summary
Grand Theft Auto 5is approaching a big milestone, but that achievement may not be completely good news for the game long-term.Grand Theft Auto 5has generated a lot of achievements for Rockstar over the years, which is a big part of whyGrand Theft Auto 6will have some big shoes to fill hen it comes out. However, the next achievement onGTA 5’s checklist is ironically related to one of the biggest challenges facing the game at the moment. It’s possible that players could see the upcoming milestone herald the end of an era.
Taking one look at theimpressive sales forGrand Theft Auto 5would show how much of a success the game has been for Rockstar. Returning to the setting of the belovedGrand Theft Auto: San Andreasproved to be a good move, asGTA 5ended up being not only the fastest seller in the series to date, but one of the fastest selling games ever. The addition ofGrand Theft Auto Onlineis another massive feather in Rockstar’s cap, as it has been getting new content and updates consistently.Grand Theft Auto 5has managed to entrench itself as a pop culture icon, but its time in the spotlight may finally be fading.
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Grand Theft Auto 5’s Anniversary May Be its Last Big Moment
While players are still waiting for an officialannouncement from Rockstar regardingGTA 6,Grand Theft Auto 5will be celebrating its tenth anniversary on July 12, 2025. This date is remarkable because of how much longevity the game has managed to achieve. Many games manage to keep active fanbases ten years after release, butGrand Theft Auto 5is not only widely popular, as it’s also still being serviced almost a decade later. Even if one credits this toGTA Online, few games boast such an impressive track record. The game’s tenth anniversary will be a celebration that has been well-earned for that reason.
However, the approaching tenth anniversary may also bring about a major change. AsGrand Theft Auto 6’s potential release dateapproaches, Rockstar is likely to begin focusing more on the new game as opposed toGTA 5. This could mean that work on updating and maintainingGTA 5could slow dramatically, or even come to a stop. There is a real possibility that one of the next patches forGrand Theft Auto 5could be the final one before Rockstar shifts entirely to working on the sequel. That would make that game’s anniversary feel more bitter than celebratory if that is the case.
Admittedly, it would not be hard to see Rockstar deciding to make such a decision following the game’s tenth anniversary. Despite being one of themost popular games on Twitch,Grand Theft Auto 5’s age is undeniable at this point. Even the best games can’t go on forever, and the fact thatGrand Theft Auto 5has survived through two console generations is impressive in its own right. It deserves respect, but with the next game coming along, the anniversary may well beGTA 5’s last hurrah. At the very least, players can be grateful for ten years of dependable service fromGTA 5.
Gaming is entering a new era with the latest generation of game consoles, and that means that new games will be coming in droves as well. WhileGTA 6can still learn fromGTA 5, the latter game’s time in the spotlight may be about to come to an end due to the aforementioned factors.Grand Theft Auto 5had a fantastic run, and it acted well as Rockstar’s flagship title while simultaneously becoming one of the biggest games in history. However,GTA 5’s tenth anniversary may be one of its last moments in the limelight.
Grand Theft Auto 5is available now for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
