Downgrade GTA 5 Bug Confirmed, Under Investigation

Rockstar Games, the developers behind GTA 5 and its GTA Online multiplayer mode have confirmed the existence of one of strangest bugs to ever be seen in a video game. Furthermore, it’s working on a way to fix that GTA 5 bug already.

A new post on the Rockstar Support area indicates that the developer is looking into a graphical issue with GTA 5 on the Xbox One and PS4 created by Title Update 1.08. In the updated support document Rockstar says that they “are aware of some graphical issues on the Xbox One and PS4 versions of GTA 5 after the most recent Title Update.” The post goes on to ask users to sign into the website and subscribe for updates about the issue.

Over the past week, GTA 5 and GTA Online players noticed that what they were seeing in their games looked very different from how it had just days ago. Since then, more than a few GTA 5 players have reported that their game doesn’t look as good as it did just last week. Cars don’t have nearly as much detail as they did in the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game, for example. Additionally, lighting seems off somehow. It’s almost as if GTA 5 on the Xbox One and PS4 has reverted back to the graphic engine from the original versions of the game.

Read: GTA Online Heists Arrive for GTA 5

GTA 5 first arrived on store shelves back in 2013 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. At the time Microsoft and Sony were preparing to launch the Xbox One and PS4. The original versions of the game offered some relatively stunning visuals, but the Xbox 360 and PS3 were on their last legs. Late last fall GTA 5 on the Xbox One and PS4 arrived with hugely improved graphics, a dedicated first-person mode, and tons of in-game cash.

To be clear, the downgrade in visuals doesn’t seem to affect gameplay itself, which is great. Rockstar rolled out Title Update 1.08 to address some nagging bugs left in Grand Theft Auto Online. That’s the online multiplayer world included with every copy of GTA 5 free of charge. It fixed the physics engine on bikes so that they were easier for users to drive in a race or perform stuns with. Chat audio was cleaned up and the planning board for Heists received some bug fixes of its own. Rockstar also tackled issues with the Parachute from 500 Feet Mission. An issue were users would complete a Heist and simply get a black screen was addressed in this update too.

The graphics downgrade issue seems contained for now. If you’re waiting to download the latest title update for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, everything appears to be in the clear now. Xbox One and PS4 users will likely need to put up with the graphical downgrade for a bit. Both consoles download the latest software updates in the background even when they appear off. Additionally, opening the game itself triggers an upgrade too. You won’t be able to play online until you download Title Update 1.08. Again, Xbox One and PS4 users aren’t noticing big functional issues with Title Update 1.08, just the visual downgrade.

With Rockstar acknowledging the issue, the only thing left to do is wait.

GTA 5 on the Xbox One costs $60 as a digital download on the Xbox One and PS4. New disc-based copies at retailers like GameStop are still selling at $60. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of GTA 5 are $39.99 used. Even with this graphics downgrade issue, it appears Rockstar still plans to deliver GTA 5 for PC on April 14th.