Rockstar Games will introduce a new racing mode to the online component of Grand Theft Auto 5 next week that will feature the classic top-down camera mode.
The mode will inject a shot of nostalgia into Grand Theft Auto Online, as the first two games in the popular franchise are played at a top-down view.
Tiny Racers Coming To 'GTA Online'
The new racing mode, named Tiny Racers, features retro-inspired stunt racing that will contain dangerous tracks and power-ups such as machine guns, rockets, and parachutes.
Players will need to take out their opponents to win at Tiny Racers, whether by taking them down with weapons or the old-fashioned way of ramming them off the race course.
The Nostalgia Factor Of Tiny Racers
Not much else is known about Tiny Racers, which will be released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions of GTA Online on April 25.
What is sure about the new racing mode, however, is the nostalgia that it will bring for long-time players of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
Before the franchise moved to the traditional third-person view first used in Grand Theft Auto 3, the first two games in the Grand Theft Auto series featured a top-down view. The top-down perspective was again seen in the two Grand Theft Auto: London titles, and last featured in the 2009 PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, but most GTA titles have since featured a third-person view.
Players who became fans of the series with Grand Theft Auto or Grand Theft Auto 2 will likely recall memories from the first two games of the franchise upon playing Tiny Racers, while newer players will get a glimpse of the roots of one of the most successful video game franchises of all time.
'Grand Theft Auto 6' Rumors
The announcement of Tiny Racers for GTA Online comes as rumors regarding the next installment in the franchise, Grand Theft Auto 6, have started swirling.
Based on the release years of the past two GTA games, which is 2008 for GTA 4 and 2013 for GTA 5, many gamers are expecting GTA 6 to be released in 2018. Such a release date, however, is in jeopardy as Rockstar Games is currently focused on Red Dead Redemption, which will be released this year.
The developer might only be able to start working on GTA 6 after Red Dead Redemption is completed, which means that it will likely be not ready to launch by 2018, but rather by 2020.
There are also rumors that GTA 6 will feature a female protagonist for the first time, a move that will end criticism on how the franchise has so far portrayed women in its games.
The location of GTA 6, meanwhile, is largely unknown. A Japanese setting was rumored after Rockstar Games trademarked the title Grand Theft Auto: Tokyo, but the idea has already been scrapped.
While gamers wait for news on GTA 6, they will have to make do with GTA 5 and the constant updates that include GTA Online's Tiny Racers.
