"GTA 5 Enhanced Edition Now Lowest Rated on Steam"

Rockstar's latest iteration of Grand Theft Auto 5, dubbed GTA 5 Enhanced, hasn't received the warm welcome the studio might have hoped for on Steam since its release in early March. The enhanced version, which hit the digital shelves on March 4, currently holds a 'mixed' user review rating, with just 54% of the 19,772 user reviews marked as positive.

To give you some perspective, the original GTA 5 on Steam, which has been unlisted at Rockstar's behest and thus no longer appears in search results on Valve's platform, enjoys a 'very positive' user review rating. Comparatively, GTA 5 Enhanced is faring the worst among GTA titles on Steam, eclipsing even the relatively poor performance of Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition, which sits at 66% positive reviews.

GTA 5 Enhanced offers a free upgrade for PC players of GTA 5, bringing features that were previously exclusive to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S versions of GTA Online. These include access to the latest vehicles and performance upgrades at Hao’s Special Works, encounters with wildlife, and the option to purchase a GTA+ Membership. Additionally, the upgrade boasts enhanced graphics options and quicker loading times. All existing PC owners of GTA 5 can upgrade to this new version at no cost, with the added benefit of migrating their Story Mode and Online progress.

Every Celebrity in GTA 5 and GTA Online

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Despite the allure of these new features, the upgrade process has been marred by significant issues, particularly with account migration. Many players have reported that the migration of their accounts isn't functioning as expected, and this problem lies at the core of the majority of the negative reviews labeled as 'most helpful.'

One frustrated player shared, "‘The GTA Online profile associated with this Rockstar Games account is not eligible for migration at this time,’ If you think I'm throwing away nearly 700 hours of gameplay on one character so that you can make a few more bucks off me, then you can lick my anal orifice clean. This is an objective downgrade from the ‘old’ version. Gonna pretend this was never released and continue to enjoy Legacy version until the new game comes out when I'm 60."

Another user expressed their dissatisfaction, stating, "I'm leaving a negative review mainly due to Rockstar deciding that some accounts should arbitrarily not be able to migrate, and if you ask for help from support, they just say they can't do anything about it."

A third review echoed these sentiments, "I can't migrate either of my two accounts. R* support is completely useless and can't help. With the game being over 10 years old I am sure as hell not going to completely restart all my progress in Online just to get marginally better graphics (if that) and HSW and whatever other minuscule stuff they added."

Despite these challenges, GTA 5 Enhanced continues to be one of the most-played games on Steam, with a peak concurrent player count of 187,059 since its launch. However, the rocky rollout has raised concerns among PC gamers about the potential launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 on PC, with fears that similar issues could plague its release.

GTA 6 is slated for a fall 2025 release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, leaving PC gamers waiting longer. In December 2023, a former Rockstar developer attempted to shed light on why GTA 6 would first launch on consoles, urging PC gamers to give the studio the "benefit of the doubt" regarding its launch strategy.

For more on GTA 6, check out Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick's comments on the future of GTA Online post-GTA 6 launch. Meanwhile, Take-Two has taken legal action against the online marketplace PlayerAuctions, accusing it of hosting "thousands of listings for unauthorized, infringing GTA 5 content – including heavily modified player accounts, in-game assets, and virtual currency – all gained by using hacking software, cheats, and technical exploits."

In other news, Rockstar has recently acquired the developer behind Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, Video Games Deluxe, and rebranded it as Rockstar Australia.