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How to Get GTA 5 for Free on Epic Games Store in 2023

If you‘re a PC gamer, here is an incredible opportunity – you can now get one of the best-selling and most popular video games of all time, Grand Theft Auto V, completely free on the Epic Games Store!

In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through the simple process to securely claim your free copy of GTA 5 on Epic Games and get access to its massive open world right on your computer. Let‘s get started!

How to Get GTA 5 for Free on Epic Games Now

Getting Grand Theft Auto V through this promotion is easy and takes just a few minutes if you follow these steps:

  1. Create an Epic Games account or sign in if you already have one. Make sure to verify your email.

  2. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) in the account security settings. This is required by Epic Games.

  3. Download the Epic Games launcher for your operating system to access the store and game library.

  4. Search for GTA 5 in the store and click "Get" on the game page to add it to your library for free.

  5. Download and install the game – around a 90 GB download so make sure you have sufficient disk space.

  6. Launch and play GTA 5 from the Epic Games launcher. Enjoy the huge story mode and GTA Online!

See, I told you getting one of the best action games out there completely free would be easy! Now let‘s look at why Epic Games is giving away GTA 5 in more detail.

Why Epic is Giving Away Such a Big Game for Free

Giving away blockbuster games like Grand Theft Auto V for free is part of Epic Games‘ strategy to attract more gamers to their relatively new Epic Games Store on PC. According to Epic, over 200 million accounts have been created just to claim free games since they started these promotions in 2018.

Some of the reasons Epic is able to do this:

  • Fortnite‘s runaway success – Epic makes billions from Fortnite microtransactions and can afford to fund free games.

  • Promote the Epic Games Store – Free games bring in new users which grows Epic‘s PC gaming market share against rival Steam.

  • Support Epic‘s game engine – More gamers on Epic Store means more devs using Epic‘s Unreal Engine to make games.

  • Partnerships with Rockstar Games – Epic likely struck a special deal with Rockstar to offer GTA 5 as a promotional freebie title.

So in summary, giving away the biggest game titles for free makes perfect business sense for Epic Games as the long-term growth and profits far outweigh the short-term costs.

A Look at GTA 5‘s Popularity and Success

To understand why GTA 5 is being given away for free, let‘s look at just how insanely popular and profitable this game has been since originally launching back in 2013:

  • Total sales: Over 170 million copies sold across all platforms
  • Highest grossing media title: GTA 5 has generated over $9 billion in lifetime revenue
  • Top-selling game of the decade: It‘s the best-selling video game from 2010-2019
  • Most profitable media ever: GTA 5 made $6 billion faster than any movie, book or game in history

Much of this success is driven by the hugely popular GTA Online multiplayer mode which sees regular content updates and still averages hundreds of thousands of daily players. No wonder Epic wanted to partner with Rockstar Games to give away such a valuable IP!

Requirements for Running GTA 5 on PC

While Epic is handing out free copies of GTA 5 to anyone with an account, that doesn‘t necessarily mean the game will run smoothly on all PCs.

Here are the official minimum and recommended system requirements for Grand Theft Auto V:

ComponentMinimumRecommended
CPUIntel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4GHzIntel Core i5-6600K @ 3.5GHz
GPUNvidia 9800 GT 1GB / AMD HD 4870 1GBNvidia GTX 1060 6GB / AMD RX 480 4GB
RAM4 GB8 GB
Storage72 GB free space72 GB free space
OSWindows 10 64-bitWindows 10 64-bit

Based on these specs, you‘ll realistically need a gaming PC with a modern quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM and a DirectX 11 graphics card for smooth 60fps gameplay. Keep in mind GTA Online will require better hardware for the best experience.

Make sure to check that your PC meets at least the minimum requirements above. If not, consider upgrading or turning down graphical settings for playable performance.

Tweaking GTA 5‘s Graphics and Controls

Getting GTA 5 running smoothly involves more than just having decent hardware. You‘ll also want to spend some time tweaking the graphics settings and controls to get the best experience:

  • Run the in-game benchmark and then adjust settings until you achieve 60fps consistently. Features like resolution, textures and draw distance impact performance the most.

  • Disable or lower anti-aliasing, ambient occlusion, shadows and post-processing for a big FPS boost. The game still looks great on medium settings.

  • For controls, I highly recommend using an Xbox controller which GTA 5 is designed for. Makes driving and shooting much easier than mouse and keyboard!

  • You can further customize controls by binding actions to different keys. For example, many players map the handbrake to spacebar for easier drifting.

  • If you have an ultrawide or 4K monitor, download community mods to unlock proper resolution support in GTA 5.

Spending a bit of time personalizing your settings and controls will let you enjoy GTA 5‘s gameplay and world to the fullest extent.

Recommended Mods to Enhance GTA 5 on PC

Thanks to GTA 5‘s modding community, we can enhance the graphics and gameplay in amazing ways. Here are some of the most popular and recommended mods I would start with after getting the game for free:

  • VisualV – Massively improves textures, lighting and weather effects for more realistic graphics.

  • Los Santos Life – Adds tons of vehicles and pedestrians to make the world feel more alive.

  • LSPDFR – Become a police officer and fight crime across Los Santos. Extensive roleplaying mod.

  • Realism Dispatch Enhanced – Overhauls cop behavior, car handling and gameplay mechanics for more realism.

  • Open All Interiors – Unlocks every enterable interior location that was hidden in the default game.

GTA 5 mods let you customize the experience in almost any way you can imagine. Just don‘t mod or cheat in GTA Online as that can get you banned!

Is GTA 5 Cross-Platform and Can You Transfer Characters?

With Grand Theft Auto V being re-released on new consoles, many players wonder if GTA Online progression transfers across platforms. Here are the cross-play and character transfer details:

  • Cross-platform play – GTA Online does NOT support crossplay between PC, Xbox and PlayStation. You remain separated by platform.

  • Character transfer – You can only transfer Online characters from Xbox 360/PS3 to PC/Xbox One/PS4. No transfers between PC, Xbox One and PS4.

So if you already played GTA Online on console, you‘ll have to start fresh when claiming the game on Epic Games for PC. No way to bring over existing characters or progression between platforms.

Is GTA 5 Still Worth Playing in 2023?

Even though GTA 5 originally came out in 2013, it absolutely holds up in 2023 and remains one of the most entertaining open-world games you can play right now. Here‘s why it‘s still worth it:

  • Incredibly detailed world – Los Santos and Blaine County are two of the most impressive game worlds ever created. Tons to see and do.

  • Packed with content – A 60+ hour story mode, huge online multiplayer, customizable characters and vehicles.

  • Regularly updated – GTA Online gets constant new modes, missions, vehicles and improvements from Rockstar.

  • Modding community – On PC, mods allow you to enhance visuals and gameplay for a whole new experience.

  • Runs well on modern hardware – Despite its age, GTA 5 is well-optimized and runs smoothly on today‘s PCs.

Between the endless single-player content and evolving GTA Online multiplayer, you could easily spend hundreds of hours exploring everything GTA 5 has to offer. It‘s truly one of gaming‘s most incredible sandboxes.

Is GTA 5 Appropriate for Younger Players?

While GTA 5 is an extremely popular game, parents should be aware it earns its Mature 17+ rating with lots of violence, coarse language, sexual content, and drug/alcohol use. Key points to consider:

  • The single-player story revolves around guns, gangs, robbery and murder. Online also facilitates lots of killing and illegal activities.

  • Strong language includes frequent use of F-word, racial slurs and derogatory terms for women and minorities.

  • Sexual content includes topless NPCs at strip clubs/beaches, references to prostitution services, and first-person sex scenes.

  • Drug use features protagonists smoking weed, taking pills, drinking heavily. DUI is possible in-game. Promotes a criminal lifestyle.

GTA 5 is intended for mature audiences, and probably not appropriate for preteens. Parents should take an active role and adhere to age ratings. Set a good example by moderating your own gaming habits.

Final Thoughts on Claiming GTA 5 for Free

As you can see, getting Grand Theft Auto V totally free on Epic Games Store lets you experience one of the most impressive game worlds ever made. The expansive single-player story mode provides dozens of hours of open-world action, while GTA Online offers endless multiplayer mayhem.

I highly recommend claiming your free copy during this limited-time promotion. Just be sure your PC can handle it, and take some time to tweak the settings for peak performance. Then get ready for a truly legendary gaming adventure!

Let me know which part of GTA 5 you enjoy the most after unlocking it on Epic. Have fun causing chaos across Los Santos and Blaine County!

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Michael

Michael Reddy is a tech enthusiast, entertainment buff, and avid traveler who loves exploring Linux and sharing unique insights with readers.