Rockstar will reportedly release a new Grand Theft Auto game later this year, and it won't be the delayed GTA VI.
It is claimed that, along with a remastered version of Red Dead Redemption 2, a Definitive Edition of GTA IV is finally on the cards.
Even though Rockstar recently announced a delay to its latest chapter in the Grand Theft Auto series, it looks like we'll be getting a fresh GTA game this year anyway.
Well, a refreshed one, that is.
Rumours abound that work is almost complete on a GTA IV: Definitive Edition, to go with the 2021 trilogy collection of the previous three games. It should hold the fort while we wait for next May and the release of GTA VI.
In fact, we could even get a second, surprise release in 2025, to keep the Rockstar flag a-flying.
Sources have revealed to Gamereactor that as well as a Nintendo Switch 2 port, Red Dead Redemption 2 is currently being remastered for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Red Dead Redemption 2 remaster: what to expect
Gamereactor claims that it has heard from "sources close to Rockstar" that the Switch 2 edition could be coming "later this year", and that could arrive at the same time as an update "for current-gen hardware".
It will allegedly bring the graphics and performance up to modern levels.
Red Dead Redemption 2 first released for PS4 and Xbox One in October 2018 and still holds up very well for a seven-year-old game. Even today it looks stunning.
However, it could do with a frame rate boost for starters – it still runs at a locked 30fps, even though current hardware is capable of more. And that's not even taking PS5 Pro into consideration. HDR also continues to look shonky – it's never been quite right, in my opinion.
Fix that and the frame rates and I'll certainly be on board for my third complete playthrough.
What about the new GTA for 2025?
As for the new version of GTA IV, that has been much-needed for many years.
The game originally released for PS3 and Xbox 360 17 years ago, and bar a Windows version has never had a native refresh for the last two console generations.
Thankfully, according to trusted games industry insider Tez2 (who tends to be spot on with Rockstar leaks), the GTA IV: Definitive Edition is in development and could launch before the end of the year.
He responded with the news during a discussion about the latest GTA VI trailer, and even suggested that a recent mod takedown was a sign that Rockstar has something more official in the works.
It is tipped to be a complete overhaul and will hopefully include the two superb DLC add-ons, The Ballad of Gay Tony and (even better) The Lost and Damned. The latter expands the story of biker gang The Lost MC and its vice president Johnny Klebitz.
He also appears (briefly but very memorably) in GTA V – so you can finally find out his backstory if you haven't been able to play GTA IV before.
We'll hopefully hear more about the Definitive Edition in the coming months. It'll keep us going until 26 May 2026, when the next major Grand Theft Auto arrives.
