Rockstar warns of Xbox 360, PS3 hardware limitations with future GTA 5 content

Last-gen gamers hoping to keep up with the latest content updates in Grand Theft Auto 5 might want to consider upgrading to Xbox One, PS4, or PC or you might be left in the dust.

Although Rockstar Games has confirmed that GTA 5's next "big content update" will be released for all five platforms — Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 — the developer warned that the technical limitations of last-gen systems could prevent future content from releasing on Xbox 360 or PS3. Simply put, the older systems are starting to hit their technical capacity.

"We want to support the older consoles with new content for as long as we possibly can," Rockstar said.

"As we mentioned previously, we always knew there might be a point where we would reach the technical capacity of what the older generation of consoles can handle as each downloadable update requires additional memory both for assets and for additional scripting."

Of course, Rockstar is referring to the technical limitations that prevented them from releasing GTA 5's first-person perspective on Xbox 360 and PS3.

"We have continued to optimize the entire game over time in order to squeeze as much memory as we possibly could out of the last-generation hardware and at some point, continuing to add content for those systems could cause the risk of instability to the game overall," Rockstar concluded. "As of now, we are planning on releasing the next big content update for all five systems and we will continue to squeeze as much as we possibly can onto them."

In the same mailbag of fan questions, Rockstar also said that a "tailored version" of the Rockstar Editor is coming to the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game. Rockstar Editor is a built-in tool that lets you record, edit, and share videos created from footage in the game's Story Mode and GTA Online (multiplayer). It debuted as a feature exclusive to the PC version of the game, but will be making its way to consoles as early as this summer. Unfortunately, this is also another example of how the hardware limitations of last-gen systems could start impacting your overall gameplay experience.

GTA 5 is still a fun game on last-gen systems, but if you want features like this, you'll probably have to upgrade soon.