GTA 6 vs GTA 5: Main Differences

GTA 6 is a new start, not a copy of GTA 5. It moves to a new place, the state of Leonida. It has two leads instead of three. It comes only to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Below, each part is compared in short, simple steps.

GTA 5 is set in one big city, Los Santos, and the countryside around it. GTA 6 covers a whole state. Leonida has six regions, and Vice City is the main city. The map is reportedly about twice as big, but treat that as a guess. For the full list of regions, see our GTA 6 map guide.

GTA 5 has three leads: Michael, Franklin and Trevor. GTA 6 has two: Lucia and Jason. They are partners, and they have to rely on each other. That makes the story feel smaller and closer. You can read more about Lucia, Jason Duval and the rest of the GTA 6 characters.

In GTA 5, three people live three different lives, and their paths cross. In GTA 6, one story follows two people who go through it together. Less jumping between lives means the story can stay on one road.

GTA 5 gives you missions and heists with three leads, and each lead has their own jobs. GTA 6 has two leads, so the missions are expected to follow the pair. Rockstar has not shared a full mission list or a mission count. We do not guess one here. When the game is out, our GTA 6 missions page will have the story and the list.

The core stays the same: driving, shooting, heists and exploring an open world. What changes is who you play. In GTA 5 you switch between three leads. In GTA 6 the game is built around two. Switching between them is expected, but how it works is not fully clear. For the full feature list, see our GTA 6 features page.

GTA 5 first came out for PS3 and Xbox 360. GTA 6 is made for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Newer consoles are stronger, so GTA 6 can show more detail. We only describe what we can see and not how the tech works.

GTA Online started in 2013 and is still played today. For GTA 6, no online details have been shared yet. We will add them when there is something real to say.

GTA 5 came out on PS3 and Xbox 360 and later moved to more consoles and PC. GTA 6 comes only to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. No PC version has been announced. See the release date page for the date and platforms.

GTA 5 and GTA 6 do not share one story, so you do not need to play GTA 5 first. Play GTA 5 if you want a full game today with a big online mode. Play GTA 6 if you want the new setting and the two-lead story.