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Grand Theft Auto 5 PC due on March 24, rig requirements
Grand Theft Auto 5 is due out for PC on March 24, Rockstar announced today in a blog post. The PC edition was originally scheduled to drop on January 27. "Our apologies for the slight shift in the date but the game requires a few extra weeks of testing and polish to make it as good as can be," Rockstar writes. "Moving a release date is never a decision we take lightly and is a choice we make only when we know it is in the best interests of the game and our fans. Thanks everyone for your understanding and we assure you these few extra weeks will be worth it when the game does arrive in March." Rockstar promises the PC version will run at 1080p and 60fps, with up to 4K resolution and support for three monitors, including Nvidia 3D Vision. Minimum PC requirements include a quad-core processor, 4GB memory and 65GB hard drive space. Recommended specs include an i5 processor, 8GB memory and 65GB hard drive space. See the full system requirements below. Grand Theft Auto Online for PC supports up to 30 players and will launch – with Heists – alongside Grand Theft Auto 5 on March 24.
GTA 5 on top again in UK (again)
Inside, you see a very tall man in a bow tie and tuxedo, sitting behind a desk. "Good morning," opens the very tall man, who you now realize is the spitting image of a young John Cleese. "It's my duty to inform you, brave adventurer, that Grand Theft Auto 5 took the UK No. 1 this week. It's the third time it's re-taken the British top spot, but that's neither here or there, really. Sales of this week's top three were half of last week's. So, right now, topping the UK charts is a bit like winning a beauty pageant held in Mordor. Never mind, eh?" You smile and nod, looking for the exit. "Anyway," he says sternly... is he John Cleese? "You have a choice ahead of you, adventurer." The very tall man points to a small arcade cabinet on your left. The screen, which appears to be made of paper and held up by someone inside the cabinet, simply says "Push a button." To press the button with a picture of a tree on it, turn to page 17 To press the button with the Joystiq logo on it, turn to page 63 To press the button with a picture of a pig on it, turn to page 245605B
Rockstar extends GTA Online's Christmas gift window due to XBL, PSN outage
If you had trouble opening your Christmas Day inventory gifts in Grand Theft Auto Online, you weren't alone. Between apparent DDoS attacks and the likely holiday rush of player traffic, Xbox Live and PlayStation Network have suffered connectivity issues over the past few days. Rockstar Games is no Grinch however – in recognition of the downtime seen with online services, the developer is extending its Christmas day gift-giving streak "for the time being." Rockstar's initial press release specified that a seasonal tree for GTA Online apartments is among its Christmas Day bundle, but it also encouraged players to check their inventory for "a few extra gifts." The festivities will continue on for New Year's, offering firework launchers to help welcome 2015, and the celebratory chaos will be available through January 5. At the time of this writing, the outlook for presents is good – a status page for Xbox Live is currently showing green lights for online play. Update: The PlayStation Network has gone offline since this story was published. Recent activity from the Ask PlayStation Twitter account notes that an estimated revival time cannot be given, but adds that engineers are currently working on resolving the issue. We recommend keeping an eye on Ask PlayStation and also checking the related status page before making plans to play on PSN. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Apple- and Microsoft-backed patent group ends its war on Android
And just like that, the Rockstar Consortium's lawsuit campaign against Android is over. The patent holding group (backed by Apple, BlackBerry, Ericsson, Microsoft and Sony) has sold all of its commonly held patents to clearinghouse RPX for $900 million, or a fraction of the $4.5 billion the total patent pool was worth a few years ago. Rockstar will accordingly drop the lawsuits that it still had left, including those leveled against HTC, LG and Samsung. Don't worry that RPX will promptly turn around and sue someone else, either. It already has a deal to license those patents for defensive purposes to a group of 30-plus companies, including Google and Cisco, while the Rockstar companies get to keep their licenses.
GTA 5 'Festive Surprise' brings Christmas fear to Los Santas
As the snow drifted quietly this wintry morn, Rockstar Games offered a new "Festive Surprise" update for Grand Theft Auto 5. Players will now be able to use proximity mines and a homing missile launcher in the game, which will feature occasional snowy days. The update also adds holiday pajamas, Christmas sweaters, hats, scarves, masks and other festive gear for free, available through Monday, January 5. GTA 5's Festive Surprise update also features special gifts on Christmas Day (December 25) and a firework launcher and firework rocket ammo to celebrate New Year's. Lastly, players can pick up four new vehicles, such as the Hot Rod Christmas Ratloader and the Slam Van. The open world game's update also tweaked a few of the game's mechanics, adding an on/off switch for the first-person mode's auto-level setting as well as deadzone and acceleration slider controls. Better yet, players are now able to own a third property in GTA Online, allowing them to own up to 30 cars and 9 bicycles. While the Festive Surprise update is available to all players, a recent developer Q&A addressed concerns over next-gen-exclusive updates, such as first-person mode. Rockstar stressed that "there may be some updates that are only technically possible on the new hardware," though it does "hope to continue delivering as many updates as we can for all four consoles for as long as possible." GTA Online's heist missions will be available for all players in early 2015. [Image: Take-Two]
GTA Online heists breaking and entering 2015 with new trailer
Grand Theft Auto 5 will get its cooperative online heist missions in early 2015, Rockstar Games revealed today. The developer originally expected to add heists to GTA Online this past spring, apologizing for the delay later in June. As of November, Rockstar said online heists would surface in the game's online world following GTA 5's next-gen launch. As the latest trailer for the game shows, the online heist missions appear to feature a number of vehicles, such as planes and helicopters; you can head past the break to sneak a peek. We deemed the updated edition of Grand Theft Auto 5 the "definitive version" of the chaotic open-world game in our review. [Image: Take-Two]
'GTA V' is finally getting online heists in early 2015, see them in action here
It's no secret that four-player online heists are coming to Grand Theft Auto Online, but information on what Rockstar's new co-op missions will entail has remained scarce. Well, thanks to an in-depth interview with IGN and a brand new trailer (embedded below), we're finally getting an idea of what we can expect when the company drops the long-awaited DLC early next year. According to GTA Online producer Imran Sarwar, the update will deliver "five unique strands involving over 20 total missions, which will add up to around 20 hours of gameplay." Each online mission will require four players who have levelled to rank 12 or higher, with one player assigned the role of leader.
Take-Two 'unaffected' by GTA5's removal from Australian stores
Target and Kmart stores in Australia pulled Grand Theft Auto 5 from their shelves last week, following a review of the game's content and feedback from customers, the companies said. A change.org petition with nearly 50,000 signatures decried the game's depiction of violence against women and called upon Australian Target stores to remove the game. Take-Two President Karl Slatoff called the situation "disappointing" at a conference this week, but said it's not that big of a deal. "Australia is relatively small for us and two retailers are relatively small in the context of Australia," Slatoff said. "There are other places for folks to buy Grand Theft Auto in Australia." Despite the low impact of the stores' decisions – both are subsidiaries of retail group Westfarmers – Slatoff had more to say about the situation. A lot more: "It's one thing for someone to not want to buy a piece of content, which is completely understandable," Slatoff said. "And that's really the solution. If you don't like it and it's offensive to you, then you don't buy it. But for a person or a group of people to try to make that decision for millions of people .... We have 34 million people who bought Grand Theft Auto, and if these folks had their way, none of those people would be able to buy Grand Theft Auto. And that really just flies in the face of everything that free society is based on. It's the freedom of expression, and to try to squelch that is a dangerous and slippery slope to go down. So it's really more disappointing for us in that regard than it is in the context of our business. Our business is going to be completely unaffected by this; it doesn't make a difference to us. At the end of the day though, it's not something you want because it's a poor leadership decision." Slatoff said that Take-Two hadn't seen a change in consumer habits in the area. [Image: Take-Two]
Kmart joins Target in taking GTA 5 off Australian store shelves
Kmart became the second major Australian retailer to remove Grand Theft Auto 5 from sale following a 45,000 strong online petition. In a statement provided to Kotaku, a spokesperson for the department store chain said it plans to take the game off store shelves "immediately." "Following a significant review of all content in Grand Theft Auto games Kmart has taken the decision to remove this product immediately," reads the statement. "Kmart apologizes for not being closer to the content of this game."
Rockstar's Black Friday sale discounts GTA 5 merchandise
Rockstar joins this week's money-saving festivities with a collection of Black Friday price drops on collectibles and apparel featured in its online store. DIscounted items include traditional fare like lithographs, hoodies, and posters along with oddities like a body bag-styled sleeping bag and a t-shirt that identifies its wearer as a known associate of noted psychopath Trevor Philips from Grand Theft Auto 5. This holiday weekend is also your chance to pick up a cheap iFruit case for your smartphone or a GTA 5-branded beach towel for warmer months. Rockstar's sale starts this Friday and extends through Monday at 11:59 p.m. EST. [Image: Rockstar]
Grand Theft Auto 5 becomes the UK's all-time bestseller
The new king of Britain is Grand Theft Auto 5, after it claimed the crown for the most units sold in the nation in the ever of ever. On the back of hitting PS4 and Xbox One, Rockstar's latest crime circus usurped the former rule of Call of Duty: Black Ops, according to data-bods Chart Track. While Chart Track didn't report specific sales figures, MCV claims GTA 5 was at "almost 4 million" units sold in the UK ahead of its arrival on the newest systems. As per other re-releases, GTA 5 offers enhanced graphics on PS4 and Xbox One. In its case, however, there's also the undoubted showpiece of the new first-person camera. "Rather than lowering the camera and shoving it in the chests of its three protagonists, GTA 5's first-person mode adds detailed animations that give the perspective a feeling more akin to simulation than a shooter," said Joystiq's Xav de Matos in our updated review. GTA 5 isn't the only rock star in this week's UK charts, so head below the break to see how well Far Cry 4 and Dragon Age: Inquisition did, and just how badly Sonic Boom flopped. You'll also find the UK top ten and, as ever, the minimally-beloved customary music video.
Google cuts a deal over old Nortel Networks patents
Remember the Rockstar Consortium? The group was formed by a handful of tech giants (including Apple, Microsoft, Ericsson and Sony) to buy a treasure trove of patents and promptly sue both Google and some Android partners, which promised one of the bigger legal battles in recent tech history. Well, it's not going to be as dramatic as first thought -- Google has agreed to settle its part of the lawsuit. The terms of the deal aren't available and will take a few weeks to hash out, but it's likely that Google is forking over some cash to Rockstar given that Cisco did the same earlier in November. It's also unclear if ASUS, HTC, Samsung and other manufacturers have reached their own settlements. However, it's hard to see them keeping up the fight for much longer when Google itself is out of the picture.
Holy crap, your wallet is screwed today
November 18 is the new October 7. Last month's $300 day tamed before it began, as the launch of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor moved up a few days while Dragon Age: Inquisition was delayed to the industry's new busy day, today. It's okay, friends, we're here to guide you through today's retail chaos. Dragon Age: Inquisition reached Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC today, and was received well in our five-star review of the game. Joystiq Streams took Dragon Age for a spin earlier this week, so those that want a taste of the game's first hour should watch the archived video. Meanwhile, Ubisoft dished Far Cry 4 out to current-gen, last-gen and PC players, a game deemed the "undisputed king" of open-world shooters that offers a "staggering number of adventures."
Rockstar troubleshoots GTA Online character transfer issues
Rockstar Games is investigating Grand Theft Auto 5 PS4 and Xbox One save progress transfer issues following its launch today, the developer acknowledged on its GTA Online support site. The next-gen version of the game was announced during Sony's E3 2014 press conference in June, along with the news that players could transfer their character's progress from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions to PS4 and Xbox One. Specifically, the problems are cropping up for players that haven't played GTA 5 in some time. "We are looking into an issue preventing character transfer and GTA Online login on accounts that haven't played GTA Online since 2013," Rockstar wrote on the support site. The developer noted in an update that "this issue has now been addressed for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 users, and will be addressed for Xbox One and Xbox 360 users by tomorrow." Xbox One players should be able to log in to GTA Online, but won't be able to transfer their character progress just yet. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Playdate: We're livestreaming 'Grand Theft Auto V' on Xbox One! (update: game over!)
Grand Theft Auto V was clearly bound for current game consoles, regardless of its late-generation appearance on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The world of Los Santos is even more gorgeous in the latest iteration, and it comes with a mess of additions: new missions, new music, and even a new way to interact with the world (first-person mode). You've seen trailers and you read the reviews a full year ago -- what does it look like in action? We're here to answer that with a livestream for you just below.
Vainglory mobile MOBA launching on Tuesday
Vainglory, "the MOBA perfect for touch," will be launching on the Apple app store in North America on Tuesday, November 18th. "Once the game is live worldwide, you can look forward to future updates with more heroes, more player-requested features, and other fun stuff," the team promised. If you want to give this free-to-play title a try, you're going to need an iPad 2 or better or an iPhone 5 or better. Vainglory is already out in other parts of the world and boasts a top-notch gaming experience for mobile devices. It was first mentioned during Apple's September press conference and was developed by former Blizzard, Riot, and Supercell developers.
Pre-load GTA5 on Xbox One, get $1 million in-game cash
If you plan on upgrading to the Xbox One version of Grand Theft Auto 5, you've got a hefty 42.44 GB download to look forward to. Snag the digital Pre-Order Edition, though, and you can queue up your download immediately, giving you instant access to criminal shenanigans following next week's launch. The Pre-Order Edition also includes $1 million in-game cash to spend in both Grand Theft Auto 5's single-player campaign and the Grand Theft Auto Online multiplayer component. The new-gen Grand Theft Auto 5 boasts an exclusive first-person mode, along with performance tweaks, new missions, and other bonus content. Grand Theft Auto 5 hits the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on November 18. [Image: Rockstar]
17 songs pulled from GTA: San Andreas in latest Steam update
According to player reports, a recent patch for the Steam version of open-world crime sandbox Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas adds support for Xbox 360 controllers, but also strips out numerous songs from the in-game radio stations. Presumably this is the result of licenses expiring, as the same 17 songs are missing from recent mobile versions of the game. Beyond the removal of the songs, reports are pouring in from players who claim that the update breaks save compatibility with old versions of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, strips out resolution options and causes issues with mouse input. As Rockstar Nexus points out, however, these problems may not be the result of the update, and could instead be the result of hardware issues or the many, many patches San Andreas has received since its 2005 debut conflicting with one another. There's just no way to tell, given the huge amount of conflicting information coming from fans. Unfortunately, our attempts to contact Rockstar for more information were met with silence. If you're experiencing issues with the Steam incarnation of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, let us know in the comments. There's currently no blanket fix for these problems, but at least we can suffer together. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Watch, contrast and compare as GTA 5 slides from PS3 to PS4
Rockstar's new PS3/PS4 comparison vid for Grand Theft Auto 5 sits somewhere between chill-out and trippy. One moment there's greenery, deer and dolphins, the next there are people magically appearing out of nowhere. Were those people on the street always there, but just... invisible before? Are they ghost people? Maybe we're all ghost people? Whoa. Revelations aside, GTA 5 hits PS4 and Xbox One on November 18, and PC in 2015. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Rock out with Grand Theft Auto 5's OST on vinyl, CD this holiday
Grand Theft Auto 5 is kicking it old-school with limited edition soundtrack bundles in CD and vinyl formats, available online and at retail starting December 9. The soundtrack collections are limited to a production run of fewer than 5,000 units worldwide. There's no word on price just yet. The CD collection includes three discs, a USB drive branded with the GTA5 lettering and in the form of a gold brick, artwork, and a poster. The vinyl set comprises six colorful records, a full-color booklet and an exclusive lithograph poster. The collections include 59 tracks, "with original music from A$AP Rocky, Tyler, The Creator, Twin Shadow, Wavves, Flying Lotus, Yeasayer and more. In addition, these limited editions will feature the original score composed by Tangerine Dream, Woody Jackson, The Alchemist + Oh No, mixed by DJ Shadow," Rockstar says. Rockstar recently reminded hopeful Xbox One, PS4 and PC GTA5 players that there is no beta on those systems – if you see an invite for one, run far, far away. GTA5 is due out for next-gen systems on November 18 and for PC in 2015.
