Grand Theft Auto V Premium Online Edition for PS4, Xbox One, and PC: Should You Buy It?

Before the rumoured Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), or Grand Theft Auto V on Nintendo Switch, we are getting GTA V Premium Online Edition for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. After being leaked via an Amazon listing back in February, Rockstar Games officially revealed the game last week with a release at retail on disc immediately, and a digital edition out later this month. We managed to spend some time with this version of GTA V to break down what you get with it, what you’ll need to download, and if has any value for existing GTA V fans or newcomers. Here’s what you need to know.

GTA V Premium Online Edition - what does it have?

GTA V Premium Online Edition comes with the base game which includes its fantastic single-player campaign that holds up exceedingly well even five years since its debut. It also includes GTA Online — GTA V’s multiplayer component.

Apart from these two, the Premium Online Edition also comes with the GTA V Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack for GTA Online which has the following:

• GTA$ bonus cash: GTA$1,000,000
• Property: Maze Bank West Executive Office, Paleto Forest Gunrunning Bunker, Senora Desert Counterfeit Cash Factory, Great Chaparral Biker Clubhouse, 1561 San Vitas Street Apartment, 1337 Exceptionalists Way 10 Car Garage
• Vehicles: Dune FAV, Maibatsu Frogger, Enus Windsor, Obey Omnis, Coquette Classic Turismo R, Pegassi Vortex, Huntley S, Western Zombie Chopper, Banshee
• Weapons, Clothing, and Tattoos: Compact Grenade Launcher, Marksman Rifle, Compact Rife, Stunt Race and Import/ Export Outfits, Biker Tattoos

This content is only accessible in GTA Online and not in the GTA V single-player campaign. The content, including vehicles, will be marked free in-game, and has no trade-in value.

GTA V Premium Online Edition price
GTA V Premium Online Edition price is Rs. 4,499 in India on PS4 and Xbox One on disc — the digital version isn’t up on the PS or Microsoft Store just yet. The PC version of GTA V Premium Online Edition is digital only, and has a price of Rs. 6,267. It’s currently available at a 15 percent discount for Rs. 5,327. In the US the price is $80 on disc and $85 digitally for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

GTA V Premium Online Edition download size

GTA V Premium Online Edition PC download size is similar to its original release — 65GB. You will need around 73GB free space once its done installing, with the PS4 and Xbox One having identical requirements.

GTA V Premium Online Edition update size
Unlike other compilations or editions of games - for example Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition - that contained all previous updates, GTA V Premium Edition on disc is an unpatched version of the game. This means you’ll have to download a 16.67GB update on PS4 and Xbox One before you can start playing it online.

GTA V Premium Online Edition Xbox One X impressions
As the name would suggest, this variant of GTA V is geared more towards those looking to play it online. Firing up GTA Online for the first time in years, we were treated to a more chaotic, almost tense experience replete with doomsday weapons, elaborate heists, and Tron-like bikes. The controls feel as responsive as they did in the single-player campaign which meant shooting, driving, and running is easy to get a hold of.

There are a host of objectives, heists, and events such as The Vespucci Job that has you behind the wheel of the titular car, or chasing after it in a police car; and the elaborate Doomsday Heist, which is split into three distinct acts, with new characters and a fresh storyline that’s a treat to play.

Thanks to the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack, accessing this high-octane section was made a bit easier thanks to the bonus GTA$ included, as to play it you need to own a facility which costs GTA$1,250,000 upwards. The net code held up well with no lag during online play and before you ask, GTA V looks exactly as it did back in 2014. No Xbox One X benefits in the way of a visual upgrade or better frame rate has been added just yet.

GTA V Premium Online Edition - should you buy it?
If you everything GTA V Premium Online Edition has to offer separately — the base game and the Criminal Starter Pack - it costs you Rs. 384 more on PS4. On Xbox One, you’re paying an additional Rs. 1,081 for buying both separately. As for PC, well, you’re spending Rs. 940 more by buying GTA V and the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack bought piecemeal.

If you haven’t played GTA V’s single-player campaign and want to, you’re better off checking out the standard edition of the game. It retails for around Rs. 2,799 on consoles and Rs. 2,499 on PC and is available on disc for all these platforms as well. If you have friends invested in the GTA Online experience and want to join them, this is a decent way forward provided you haven’t bought the game before.

If you already own GTA V, you’re better off waiting for GTA Online’s packs to go on sale, which usually happens several times during the year when Valve, Sony, and Microsoft have their discounts.

Is this the last we'll see of GTA V? Given that GTA 6 is speculated to be in development for a 2022 release, and Rockstar is squarely focussed on Red Dead Redemption 2, we won't be surprised to see another edition of the game for current platforms in the works, with even more attention to its online component rather than any single-player content.

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