GTA 5 Looks Unrecognisable in Original Release Footage, I Miss It

Grand Theft Auto V has changed a lot over the years and this old footage is giving us a serious case of nostalgia.

It’s easy to look forward to the next games on the horizon and while I’m still excited for Grand Theft Auto VI’s launch day later this year the current state of the world has me wishing we could go back to somewhat simpler times.

GTA V launched on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, over a decade ago which is pretty crazy to think about.

Over the years it’s had a lot of work done to it, like optimisation upgrades for the current hardware.

A videoby YouTuber Mr Snook has documented the full list of changes between the original PlayStation 3 release and the modern day PC port, which stands as the most up-to-date, and advanced, version of the game. It’s worth noting that the PlayStation 3 footage used was captured via an emulator, so any glitches or bugs mentioned are likely not found in the original, native version of the game. Skip to 32 minutes for some awesome side-by-sides that really emphasise what I'm talking about.

In terms of gameplay features though it’s still a good comparison. You’ve got your obvious stuff like enhanced visuals, updated models, better render distances etc, but then you also have massive innovations like first-person mode.

That was brought in for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 port, and has become a mainstay in Rockstar Games titles since, which is to say Red Dead Redemption 2.

The change that stood out to me though, and I’m glad this wasn’t just me going crazy, was vehicle destruction behaviour.

Rockstar Games

When it first came out I have vivid memories of absolutely totalling cars in GTA V, tearing away huge chunks of metal and rubber as I crashed into things to the point where the car’s practically unrecognisable afterwards.

Following all the updates it’s felt like cars and other vehicles can sustain more damage and it turns out that’s because somewhere along the way the collision physics were changed.

Some other interesting changes were made to the world itself. For example in the original version there was a replica of a real-life art sculpture on Vespucci Beach, which was later changed to something original. It’s believed this was due to a legal threat, or the artist simply not being happy that their work was depicted in such a controversial game. Something similar happened with Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition with one of the radio tracks.

The whole video by Mr Snook is worth a watch if you’re interested, and it’s quite surprising just how much has changed over the years.