u/1DayVd

I been going back through older GTA games and having not played GTA in forever I forget how perfect GTA 5 is. From the map, to the story, to the missions this game is just perfect. The map alone is one of the best ever made open world maps, the story is hilarious and super underrated, and you can really tell Rockstar just set out to make a fun ass game. That energy is all over it.

People complain about the driving compared to GTA 4 but back when GTA 4 came out everybody was saying the driving was too heavy and too realistic. Now all of a sudden it's the gold standard. GTA 5 has that perfect arcade feel and once you actually upgrade your cars it sounds and feels insane.

I don't get this obsession with games needing to feel real. I like my games to just be fun. Not everything needs to be a simulation. Rockstar knew that and dropped this gem that I think is still the best open world experience yet over a decade later.

I’ve been going back through older GTA games just for the fun of it and GTA 5 is genuinely one of the greatest games ever made and people need to stop pretending they always hated it.

Everyone acts like it’s some mid game now and GTA 4 is this hidden gem that only the “real ones” appreciated. Bro, I was there. People HATED the driving in GTA 4. It felt like you were driving a boat on ice and everyone would not shut up about it. Rockstar listened, made GTA 5 feel more responsive and fun to drive, and now those same people act like GTA 4’s physics were peak gaming. Pick a side.

And the content complaints? GTA 4 was constantly getting roasted for being bare bones compared to San Andreas. No planes, stripped down activities, way less to do. So what did Rockstar do? Gave us GTA 5 with three protagonists, a massive map, more vehicles, more activities, more everything. Still not good enough apparently.

This is just what happens with massively popular things. Once something gets too much praise people try overly hard to be different.

GTA 5 actually holds up insanely well. I’ve been playing it on PS5 Pro recently and it genuinely looks and feels like it could have dropped this year. The graphics, map design, the story, the detail in the world, it’s still crazy impressive. Most games from 2013 don’t even come close to aging that well.

Rockstar gave people exactly what they asked for after GTA 4 and people still found a way to complain. In another 10 years I’m sure people will flip and talk about GTA 5 the way they talk about GTA 4 now since that just seems like how it always goes once the nostalgia kicks in.​​​