GTA 6 v GTA 5: Five things that prove how different life was in 2013

GTA 6 has been delayed but finally has a release date of May 26 2026 with trailer 2 and loads of new screenshots being shared. Although there's still more than a year to go until the most highly-anticipated game of all time releases, life is already incredibly different to how it was 12 years ago when GTA 5 released.

GTA 5 first released on PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 17 2013 and has since been re-released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Perhaps I'm showing my age a bit here but I can remember so clearly an 18-year-old me (I'm 30 now 😅) having just moved to Nottingham to start my university degree, gaining full independence for the first time - and buying GTA 5 days after it came out on Xbox 360.

I remember rushing back to my uni halls after buying it and booting it up for the first time on the console that sat underneath my 17 inch TV on my desk, impatient to start what would be the first of several playthroughs since.

When GTA Online went live two weeks after launch, countless hours and endless nights were spent playing with mates and just generally mucking about in Los Santos.

Life was very different then, not just for me - and here are five things that prove it.

1. PS4 and Xbox One release

Xbox released the Xbox One and PlayStation released the PS4 in late 2013 / Christian Petersen, Getty Images

Not long after the release of GTA 5 on PS3 and Xbox 360, both Sony and Microsoft released the PS4 and Xbox One respectively.

To put that into perspective, there have already been mid-generation updates for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the successors to each of those consoles, and rumours are already flying around about a potential PS6 and Xbox's new generation.

Who else remembers playing Uncharted, Batman Arkham games and Assassin's Creed II when they came out? And that's before we even get to the feral open lobbies in Call of Duty and head-loss messages stemming from a FIFA victory.

2. Netflix started making original programmes

Netflix started making original programmes 12 years ago / Patrick T. Fallon, AFP via Getty Images

Netflix started out in 1998 sending DVDs to customers as a way to compete with Blockbuster before becoming the huge giant it's known as today.

Netflix didn't start making its own shows until 2013, which started out with House of Cards. It was followed with Arrested Development and Orange Is the New Black.

The rest, as they say, is history.

3. Vine

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Remember the video sharing social media platform that let users upload six second videos? It was founded in 2012 and launched early 2013. Good times.

It was a hotbed for viral videos and some of the most iconic ones of all time were uploaded onto the platform, way before videos could be shared to the likes of Instagram.

But other popular social media platforms like that quickly caught up and Vine was discontinued in 2017.

4. Harlem Shake trend

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Ah, the Harlem Shake trend... The classic meme that took off in early 2013 where people would dance to an excerpt of 'Harlem Shake' by Bauer.

It would usually start with one person bopping along before all out chaos from a much larger group followed with everyone going mad when the beat dropped.

5. North West was born, Kim and Ye weren't married yet

North West and Kim Kardashian at a LA Lakers game in 2023 / Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

North West, the first child of Kim Kardashian and Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), was born in 2013. The pair didn't marry until a year later.

Feeling old yet? I know I am... Excuse me while I just go and order a rocking chair...

Elsewhere from indy100, check out five things trailer 2 of GTA 6 doesn't tell you and the new songs that have been confirmed in the game's soundtrack.

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