GTA 5 PS4 to PS5 Upgrade Is Now Free for All Players
Rockstar Games is making one final push to migrate its player base to newer hardware ahead of GTA 6. As of June 18, 2026, all existing owners of Grand Theft Auto V on PlayStation 4 are eligible to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version of the game completely free of charge.
The move is part of a broader effort to consolidate the GTA Online community, which still sees nearly two million active players on the older PS4 hardware. By offering the upgrade for free, Rockstar is providing a clear path for those holdouts to experience the latest technical refinements and content updates on current-generation consoles.
How to Claim Your Free Upgrade
The upgrade process is straightforward, though it differs slightly depending on whether you own a digital or physical copy of the game:
- Digital Owners: Navigate to the game hub on your PS5 console and select the option to download the PS5 version at no extra cost.
- Physical Owners: Insert your PS4 Blu-ray disc into the PS5 console and wait for the initial installation. Once complete, head to the game hub to trigger the download of the PS5 version. Note that you must keep the disc in the console whenever you wish to play.
Rockstar has also streamlined the process for moving progress, with official support for migrating both Story Mode and GTA Online save data to the new version.
New Content and the Kortz Center Heist
Beyond the technical jump, the PS5 version includes exclusive features such as Hao’s Special Works, which introduces high-performance vehicle tuning, along with new Career Progress rewards. These additions will be critical for players looking to participate in the game’s next major content drop.
The developer confirmed that a new update, The Kortz Center Heist, is arriving in July. The heist will task players with infiltrating the world-famous gallery in Pacific Bluffs to steal priceless art. To participate, players will need to add an Art Studio to their existing Mansion property—a feature introduced in the recent Mansion update—and scout the complex before choosing their approach.
With GTA 6 on the horizon, this appears to be a significant effort to move the remaining PS4 community over to the PS5, ensuring that when the next major title arrives, players are already positioned on the latest hardware.