GTA Online Next-Gen update makes loading screens even worse

Alan Bernal
gta online players

Grand Theft Auto players are finding that the loading screens in the game were made even worse by the next-gen update that’s proving to be a problem.

Rockstar have properly brought GTA 5, and by extension GTA Online, to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with the latest rounds of optimizations to make it more fitting on newer consoles.

Everything from immersive 3D audio to platform-specific functionalities has been included in the GTA next-gen update, along with something all video game fans could appreciate: faster loading times.

But a clip shows how that new feature can, at times, work against the player if the game runs into a snag while loading GTA characters into Los Santos.

gta 5 online next gen update
The next-gen update introduced updated visuals to GTA 5, but fans were hoping for more seamless integration.

Reddit user ‘MustafaX0_0’ showed an unfortunate clip of a character transitioning into the game which quickly led to their demise. As the bird’s eye view centered on the location the player was supposed to load in, it hit a bump in the processing.

Instead of appearing ground-level like normal, it seems as though the game’s logic accidentally clipped them through a building and sent them diving below the city.

“Expanded and enhanced,” the user quipped. More players expressed their disbelief at the sight of the strange glitch seeing as the next-gen update was supposed to bring enhanced gameplay with features that boasted “seamless character switching.”

“They expanded the map I see, but downwards,” another player joked.

As the devs tinker and work on bug fixes for GTA on next-gen consoles, Rockstar could look to patch out these kinds of occurrences from happening.

Aside from these strange occurrences, players have appreciated new features like the ability to copy other players’ GTA Online custom cars with the push of a button.

Still, some players were hoping for more out of the GTA next-gen update overall, which isn’t being helped by the bugs they keep finding.

About The Author

Alan is a former staff writer for Dexerto based in Southern California who covered esports, internet culture, and the broader games/streaming industry. He is a CSUF Alum with a B.A. in Journalism. He's reported on sports medicine, emerging technology, and local community issues. Got a tip or want to talk?