First up, if you haven’t yet dipped your toe into the grubby waters of Los Santos, what the hell are you playing at?

It’s over a year since the release of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, and you can pick up a copy for less than £20; there’s no excuse.

However, if you’ve been kicking your heels while Rockstar smartened up a current-gen release, you won’t need my ramblings to tell you how essential this is to your collection. Don’t mess about, you need this.

But if you’re the proud owner of a previous-gen version and are mulling an upgrade, I might be able to help. I’m good like that.

There’s a bunch of new stuff wedged into the PS4 and Xbox One versions, but if you don’t care for the additions, there’s obviously little point in opening your wallet.

So what have we got? Let’s take a look...

  • A lick of paint graphically. Let’s be fair, it’s more than a few added wrinkles around the eyes. There are new shops, super draw rates, 1080p in your face, pretty sunsets and even prettier reflective puddles during grotty weather. Passers-by also seem more natural and conversations repeated less often, bumping up the realism a notch.
  • First-person mode. This is the big addition, and those who get their kicks from FPS will wet their pants over how much more ‘in the game’ this feels. You’re not just watching hilarious psychopath Trevor mete out his specific brand of justice, you are him, and first-person mode makes this experience a little more unsettling. Driving is a load of twitchy nonsense, though. Keep third-person mode active when behind the wheel.
  • New weapons and vehicles. A rail-gun and hatchet with which to turn adversaries in sausages, and a monster truck, tweaked blimp, armoured muscle car and the nippy Dodo seaplane.
  • New missions. Michael gets to solve murder mysteries. Makes perfect sense to me...
  • 150 new songs. One of these is Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone. Totally worth the upgrade.
  • Photography challenge. Apparently Los Santos is the new Galapagos Islands, and new species have been popping up all over the shop. GTA gets all Beyond Good and Evil and requires unlikely naturalist Franklin to take photographic proof.
  • Stock car races. Race stock cars. That is all.
  • Monkey mosaics. Track a graffiti artist around town and unlock monkey outfits. Monkey outfits? Sign me up!
  • Online enhancements. Online was totally broken when the previous-gen releases went on sale. There are no such issues this time (not so far, anyway) and the participant capacity has been ramped up to a maximum of 30. All additions from previous online updates will also be present and ready for your abuse.

That’s the main roster of the new gubbins. There’s a stack more minor goings-on, and those who upgrade are in line for a handful of exclusive bit and bobs. Progress and characters are also usefully imported from previous-gen to current-gen consoles.

GTA V is a phenomenal piece of work and its possibilities won’t be exhausted this side of Christmas (unless there’s little else to your life – go and take in a play or wrestle with a kitten, for heaven’s sake). Upgrading will depend on how much you value the above, but first-person enthusiasts should give it more than serious consideration.

Out on Xbox One, PS4