New Changes in GTA 5 Enhanced Edition

The Gaming Insider

The release of the Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) Enhanced Edition on 4th March 2025 has shared a lot of updates and improvements, creating the best gaming experience for both new and returning players. let’s go deep into the key features, enhancements, and notable changes introduced in this edition, The enthusiasts are eager to explore the new changed world of Los Santos.​

Originally launched over a decade ago, GTA 5 has maintained its prominence in the gaming community. The Enhanced Edition, released on March 4, 2025, brings a suite of upgrades previously exclusive to next-gen consoles, now available for PC users. This edition aims to leverage modern hardware capabilities, offering players a more immersive and visually stunning experience.

One of the most significant changes in GTA 5 is that many modding enthusiasts have noticed is that traditional mod support is currently on hold. If you rely on graphics modifications like NaturalVision or vehicle add-ons to enhance your gameplay, you may be disappointed to find that these mods don’t work with the Enhanced Edition at the moment. Tools like OpenIV and CodeWalker have yet to update for this new version, meaning that the vibrant modding community is essentially taking a pause.

That said, there is hope on the horizon—modders are already hard at work updating popular mods like NaturalVision for compatibility. For now, however, if mods are crucial to your gaming experience, it might be best to stick with the Legacy version until full support is restored.

Among the lesser-known adjustments in this update is a hidden setting tucked away in your GTA 5 settings file. Located in the Documents folder under GTA 5, you can find an option labeled “RT Indirect Diffuse Second Bounce.” When enabled, this setting adds an extra bounce of indirect lighting to the game’s ray tracing system, resulting in brighter and more realistic lighting effects.

However, there’s a catch: this feature isn’t fully stable. Activating it may cause a noticeable drop in FPS or even result in occasional glitches. It seems Rockstar intentionally left it hidden, likely because it hasn’t been perfected for widespread use. For those curious enough to experiment, it’s an interesting tweak to try—but be prepared for potential performance issues.

A subtle yet visually appealing GTA 5 update is that outfits with glowing or illuminated elements now actually emit light. This means that neon jackets, LED shoes, and other Tron-inspired apparel will cast a soft glow on nearby surfaces, enhancing the overall ambiance of the game. While it might seem like a small detail, this change aligns with the promises of advanced ray tracing, making night scenes in Los Santos look even more immersive.HDR Support: A Missing Feature on PC

It may come as a surprise that despite the GTA 5 Enhanced Edition’s improvements, the PC version still lacks HDR (High Dynamic Range) support. Even though HDR is available on the PS5 version, Rockstar chose not to implement it for PC gamers. Considering that most modern PC games support HDR and the hardware is more than capable of handling it, this omission has left many players scratching their heads. The absence of HDR means that, in certain lighting conditions, the game’s visuals might not be as rich and vibrant as they could be.

Despite the slew of visual enhancements in other areas, one element that hasn’t received any upgrades is the vehicle mirrors. Fans hoping for real-time, high-quality reflections in mirrors will be disappointed. Instead, they still use the same low-quality reflections that were present in earlier versions. Updating over 800 vehicle models to support proper reflections would be a massive undertaking, and it appears Rockstar opted to leave them unchanged for now. While most of the game has been overhauled, the mirrors are a nostalgic reminder of GTA 5’s older graphics.

For gamers who enjoy GTA 5 roleplay servers, there’s another critical point to consider. FiveM, the platform that supports custom roleplay servers, currently does not work with the Enhanced Edition. This means that if you’re deeply involved in roleplaying, you’ll have to remain on the Legacy version until FiveM updates its compatibility. The decision to upgrade now could mean missing out on the vibrant roleplay community that you love.

For those using NVIDIA graphics cards, a recent driver update specifically targeted for GTA 5 Enhanced Edition has raised some issues. Some players have reported that this update forces the game to lock at 60 FPS—even if V-Sync is disabled. If you rely on an uncapped frame rate for competitive or smooth gameplay, you might need to roll back your drivers until NVIDIA releases a fix. It’s a reminder that hardware optimization is as crucial as software updates in delivering a seamless gaming experience.

Another noticeable change in the Enhanced Edition is the removal of the in-game text chat in online mode. While it might not seem like a major feature at first, the text chat has been a vital component for communication among players, especially in lobbies. Its absence makes online lobbies feel significantly emptier and less interactive. Many players hope that Rockstar will reintegrate this feature in a future update, as it plays a key role in fostering community engagement during online sessions.

Interestingly, when ray tracing is turned off, the GTA 5 Enhanced Edition actually performs better than the Legacy version, delivering higher frame rates. This unexpected performance boost raises a question: why did Rockstar release a separate version rather than simply updating the existing game? In theory, disabling ray tracing could have been an option for players with lower-end hardware, but the decision to split the versions has led to confusion and compatibility challenges. It seems like unnecessary fragmentation that could have been avoided.

Despite many of the graphical improvements in GTA 5 , some textures in the Enhanced Edition have taken a hit. Certain clothing items, in particular, appear to be of significantly lower resolution, reminiscent of textures from the PS3 era. This downgrade is puzzling, especially when the overall file size of the game has been reduced by about 23 GB compared to the Legacy version. While improved file compression might be a factor, the drop in texture quality has left many players questioning whether this was a necessary sacrifice.

While the introduction of ray-traced reflections in GTA 5 is one of the marquee features of the Enhanced Edition, the implementation leaves something to be desired. Reflections often appear grainy and muddy from various angles, even when played at native or upscaled resolutions. For gamers expecting crisp, mirror-like quality, this aspect of the update may fall short of expectations. It remains to be seen whether Rockstar will fine-tune these settings in future patches.

Ray-traced shadows are another area where the Enhanced Edition shows both promise and shortcomings. Although the shadows are more realistic in some respects, they tend to be excessively blurry, and players currently have no option to adjust their sharpness. Comparatively, the softer shadows in the Legacy version sometimes provide a more balanced visual experience. This discrepancy has led to mixed reviews among players, with many hoping for improvements in subsequent updates.

For players considering upgrading, it’s important to note that transferring your GTA Online character to the GTA 5 Enhanced Edition is a one-time, irreversible process. Once your character is transferred, you cannot revert to the Legacy version, nor can you transfer your progress between PC and consoles. This permanent decision requires careful consideration, especially if you’re attached to your current character’s progress and customization.

A further complication is that progress made in the Enhanced Edition is completely separate from that in the Legacy version. Players who upgrade will essentially have two different experiences with separate character progressions. This fragmentation not only creates confusion but also means that any benefits from staying on one version might be lost if you switch. It raises questions about why Rockstar opted for a dual-version approach rather than simply updating the existing game.

For those on the fence about upgrading, an innovative feature is available that allows you to compare the game with various ray tracing options enabled or disabled. An interactive image slider lets you see side-by-side comparisons of how the game looks under different settings. This tool can help you decide whether the graphical improvements are worth the potential trade-offs in performance and mod support. Link!