Grand Theft Auto V PC System Requirements and Release Date

Grand Theft Auto V is another great game in the series. I remember when I was eagerly awaiting the release for the PS3 version. My only disappointment with the game was that the story seemed too short, I completed it rather quickly. I spent very little time playing Grand Theft Auto: Online, the multiplayer part of the game. I was very happy with the character I created, thinking he looked very much like me.

Some time ago, I found out that the game would be coming out for the new consoles (PS4 and XBox One) and also the PC. Although I think the updated game would be a great reason to get a PS4, I have not done so. I figured that I'd wait for the PC release, which was expected to come out this month. However, the system requirements have been released along with a release date, March 24th.

Here are the system requirements copied from the link below:

Minimum Specs
OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1, Windows Vista 64 Bit Service Pack 2* (*NVIDIA video card recommended if running Vista OS)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs) / AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs) @ 2.5GHz
Memory: 4GB
Video Card: NVIDIA 9800 GT 1GB / AMD HD 4870 1GB (DX 10, 10.1, 11)
Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible
HDD Space: 65GB

Recommended Specs
OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1
Processor: Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.2GHZ (4 CPUs) / AMD X8 FX-8350 @ 4GHZ (8 CPUs)
Memory: 8GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB / AMD HD7870 2GB
Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible
HDD Space: 65GB

Source: http://www.pcgamer.com/gta-5-system-requirements-announced/

Travis Admin wrote on 01/13/2015 at 06:57pm

I was coming here to post this! Those are really meager system requirements. I assume to play it like it was last gen it's pretty easy. but to really crank up the graphics to the way it looks current gen requires some beefy hardware. The good news is that it seems like it will scale, unlike the GTA IV port which wasn't stellar.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/13/2015 at 07:26pm

=) So, I beat you to a post! Hahaha. I'm not as up-to-date on hardware like I used to be, so I found some of this confusing, to a point. I re-checked my system specs and I'm sure my PC won't have any trouble with the game. I have an Intel Core i7, 16 GB of RAM, and a Geforce 690 (4GB). While my old PC was able to run GTAIV, it seems that it would not run GTAV, even if it wasn't dead. Speaking of GTAIV, I haven't tried playing it on my new PC.

I'm not yet done with Hyrule Warriors, so I'm not too concerned that GTAV won't be out until near the end of March. I feel like I can wait for it. Although, I'm eagerly awaiting for Terraria 1.3 and Starbound to update.

That said, I wonder how the PC version of GTAV might work with GTA: Online. Meaning, I wonder if PC users will be able to play GTAO with PS or XBox users. That would be really cool, but I kind of doubt it will happen.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/13/2015 at 09:50pm

Hahahaha

Hahahahahahaha

Your rig will murder this game. You don't have to worry.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/13/2015 at 09:59pm

Yeah, actually my "rig" seems about double the "recommended specs." I wasn't worried, really, but it pleases me greatly that my PC is still over-powered for an awesome game that's not even out yet. I seriously have no regrets about buying this awesome PC. For what I paid for it, it should be over-powered hopefully for a few years. It's really quiet, too! =)

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/16/2015 at 12:23am

This looks great. I don't mind Triple A studios releasing on PC later if the port is done properly. Since i'm not a huge GTA fan I may pick this up in some sale or not. Edging to "not" at this point.

That said I am looking forward to Rockstar dropping Read Dead Redemption out as that looks WAY up my alley. I have the GoTY edition on PS3 I just don't play a ton of console games these days and as such haven't started it. Read Dead on PC may be a day one buy for me depending on price.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/16/2015 at 01:27am

I think GTAV will be awesome on the PC. It was cool to see the changes that were made for the next-gen consoles (PS4 and XBox One). The article (link) I shared in this post states: "This PC release will bring all the benefits of the most recent PS4 and Xbox One versions. That includes the first-person mode and an expanded soundtrack, and, exclusively for the PC version, native 4K support." So, yeah it's going to be awesome on the PC.

As for Red Dead Redemption, I loved that game. It is sad that it hasn't come to the PC yet. However, I seem to recall seeing something about a sequel coming. Yeah, check out this link: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/rockstar-teases-red-dead-2-explains-gta-5-heist-de/1100-6424277/

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/16/2015 at 01:54am

Making a game to look great in 4K is a good idea. I have a 2.5/3K monitor and really like playing games that way.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/16/2015 at 02:59am

Cool, I don't even know a thing about 4K (or any #K for that matter), except that it seems to be the new HD.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/16/2015 at 05:28am

HD is technically anything 720p or higher. I hate all the HD remasters of things, because I've been playing games in HD for 15 years. What they really mean is they made the textures look bigger.

Anyway, 1080p is 1920x1080, and 4k is 3840 x 2160. 4k is just a shorthand for roughly 4 times as many pixels as 1080p

Travis Admin wrote on 01/16/2015 at 05:28am

Clarified: I don't hate the HD remasters of games, I quite like them. I hate that they're called HD remasters.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/16/2015 at 05:33am

Cool, thanks for the info, Travis. It's crazy how technology is constantly improving, it's hard to keep up sometimes.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/17/2015 at 07:00pm

Travis: In many cases it's not just making the textures larger they actually increase the texture fidelity too. For instance, if they had to downsample the textures originally so they played well on really old hardware they can add the extra quality and some remasters do this. As far as I see it "HD Remaster" makes sense if they do, in fact, include higher resolution textures optimized for resolutions > 480p.

Plus some older games don't support higher resolutions without some hacking or simply don't work at all. Like Warcraft III, putting it into a standard HD mode stretches the image and looks bad as it was optimized for 4x3 monitors. Looking for some remaster of that to come out and according to Blizz, it will eventually.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/18/2015 at 03:35am

Last time I played War 3 it had been patched and supported 1080p without wonky stretching.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/18/2015 at 03:59am

Oh right, my monitor is 16x10 not 16x9.

Missile_Drop_Kick wrote on 01/19/2015 at 06:45pm

I played quite a bit of GTA Online. I got sick of being run over by random people who thought it was hilarious to not play missions and just troll everyone. It's been holding me back from getting it on PS4 or XBox1.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/20/2015 at 03:14am

I just restarted Steam because of an update and I found the following news:
"PRE-PURCHASE BY FEBRUARY 1 AND GET $1,000,000 IN-GAME PLUS A BONUS $300,000 AND A BONUS GAME
Pre-purchase and get $1,000,000 in-game ($500,000 for Grand Theft Auto V and $500,000 for Grand Theft Auto Online).

Pre-purchase by February 1 and get a bonus $300,000 for Grand Theft Auto Online and a bonus digital download of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on PC.

Grand Theft Auto V for PC will be available for pre-load prior to release."

Are you going to pre-order? I think it's tempting, but I'm not sure if I will.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/20/2015 at 03:17am

Actually, I think I probably will pre-order. Here's more info that I read more from Steam:
"EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FOR RETURNING PLAYERS
To reward loyal Grand Theft Auto V fans for playing on PC and experiencing a newer, more detailed version of Los Santos and Blaine County, Rockstar Games has an array of exclusive items specifically for these players returning from PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360 - with each of them connected to activities designed for them to experience the game's massive world in new and exciting ways. For more info about gaining access to exclusive content for returning players, please visit rockstargames.com/V/bonuscontent.

TRANSFER YOUR EXISTING GTA ONLINE CHARACTER
Existing players on PlayStation®3, PlayStation®4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One will be able to transfer their Grand Theft Auto Online characters and progression to PC. For more information, please visit rockstargames.com/gtaonline/charactertransfer"

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/20/2015 at 03:21am

http://store.steampowered.com/app/271590?snr=1_41_4__42

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/20/2015 at 03:26am

Oh and if anyone pre-orders the game (as I just did), here's a solution to the issue you will find when installing San Andreas. After pre-ordering the game, Steam will tell you that it wants to install San Andreas. However, if you're running Steam on Windows, you'll find an "invalid platform" error. To fix this issue, go to your Steam Library and click on San Andreas and click the "Install" button. It will work that way.

Sorry for the multiple comments that I could have posted in one or two.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/20/2015 at 08:56pm

No problem. I don't think i'll pre-order it but those are nice bonuses for people that want to play it day one.

Travis? Are you pre-ordering it?

Travis Admin wrote on 01/20/2015 at 10:06pm

I already have San Andreas ( and warning, the new updates to San Andreas on PC aren't really great.) but I might still preorder for that cash bonus.

Wait no, it's a full $60 for a game that's been out for a long time with a shiny coat of paint. I want it on PC badly, but not $60 badly. I'll wait for the price drop.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/20/2015 at 10:18pm

I don't even really care about the in-game cash bonuses. I think it's cool to have San Andreas on the PC now. I played it on the PS3 and liked it, with a couple of exceptions. I HATED the mission called "Supply Lines." Although, I think I did better at it the second time I played it. I also couldn't seem to get 100% gang owned area, I only got 99%. It would be cool to have all of the other GTA games for the PC, especially GTA3. I really loved that game when it came out on the PS2. I spent tons of hours playing it when I was at Radford University. I also later bought it for the original XBox and liked that it could use the music I had stored on my XBox at the time. I can't recall if I was able to use my own music on the PS3 or PC versions of GTAIV. I wonder if San Andreas is like that, too.

You have some good reasons for not pre-ordering, Travis. I have plenty of money in the bank, so I don't mind that it's a $60 game. I think it's worth it, even though that's what I paid for the PS3 version.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/22/2015 at 03:59am

Travis, did you play San Andreas or GTAIV with a controller on your PC? If so, did you enjoy it better than using the keyboard?

Travis Admin wrote on 01/23/2015 at 04:32am

I played GTAIV with a controller. Never tried it with KB+M. But I played it on PS3 first, so I was used to it.

San Andreas isn't very conducive to playing with a controller, but the first time I played it was back at RU with KB+M and I felt at home with it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/23/2015 at 05:21am

Cool, thanks for the input (no pun intended). I know I played GTAIV a little bit on the PC years ago and I know that I had to have used the KB+M, though I can't recall that experience very much. Now that I have an XBox 360 USB controller for my PC, perhaps I'll give it a try while playing these games.

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