GTA Online is like a Xenomorph, in a lot of ways. It's an iconic behemoth, one that creates a parasitic relationship with its hosts and refuses to die. It also thrives unexpectedly during quarantine.

Grand Theft Auto 5 celebrated its seventh birthday during this noxious year, but Los Santos has never been busier. The game sold 400,000 copies in under four months in the UK, in the midst of our first national lockdown. That success might have had something to do with the *ahem* player-driven alien gang war that consumed the game (and most of social media) in April.

But if you need a stone-cold example of GTA Online's enduring relevance, Sony led with the damn thing during its PlayStation 5 reveal conference. In 2021, Rockstar's service sandbox will land on the monolithic mini-fridge and its router rival, the first of its kind to span three generations of consoles.

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Given the enormous commercial success of GTA 5, it feels almost inevitable we're going to see a sequel at some point, but that hasn't stopped fans from trying to read tea leaves to figure out exactly when GTA 6 is going to release. Once again, fans think they've found a reference to GTA 6 - and this time it's centred on a dirt road in the middle of Virginia. That's certainly a little off the beaten track.

The wild theory began when Rockstar published a teaser for the new GTA Online update, at the bottom of which fans spotted a set of GPS coordinates:

Popping these coordinates into Google Maps or Earth lands you at Middle Mountain Trail, a deserted track in the middle of Virginia. Yet as noted by Kotaku, fans think the shape of the road is actually a clue for GTA 6. The trail looks a little like the Roman numeral VI, and this has sent fans into a bit of a tizzy.

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Winter might be readying to wrap half the world in its chilly embrace, but Rockstar has its sights set on sunnier climes, and will whisking GTA Online's player base away for some tropical island rejuvenation, as part of its Cayo Perico Heist update, launching on 15th December.

Described as GTA Online's "biggest update yet", The Cayo Perico Heist introduces a entirely new island location - which just so happens to be home to the world's most notorious drug dealer, whose compound players will need to infiltrate during Rockstar's latest heist.

"It's up to you to find a way to breach Cayo Perico, one of the most secure private islands in the entire world," explains the developer in its update announcement, "evade or neutralise the heavily armed security forces stationed there, and escape with valuable evidence along with as much art, gold and drug money as you can carry."

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Rockstar is giving away a "special new vehicle" to Rockstar players if the community manages to collectively steal 100 billion in-game dollars before 18th November.

The Heist Challenge - which is live now - also knocks 75 per cent off the cost of Casino Heist Setup Fees to help "players get their boots in the door", plus there's double GTA dollars and RP available in Casino Missions and Ressurection.

You'll also secure a Prime Gaming Bonus of GTA$200K for playing this week, too.

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Borderlands and Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two has agreed on a near-$1bn pricetag to snap up British racing giant Codemasters.

Take-Two announced today it had shook hands on a $994m (£759m) deal which is expected to be completed in spring 2021.

Codemasters will join fellow Take-Two-owned labels such as 2K, Rockstar Games and Private Division.

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Lockdown saw remarkable sales of video games in the UK.

The Entertainment Retailers Association published sales data for 23rd March to 13th June, and it shows video games sold bucketloads on these shores.

The two top-selling entertainment products were videos: Star Wars Episode 9 - The Rise of Skywalker in at number one with 637,484 copies sold during lockdown, and Frozen 2 in at two with 541,783 copies sold.

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If the recent crashing of the Epic Games Store wasn't enough to convince you of the ridiculous popularity of this nearly seven year-old game, maybe the latest sales figures will, as Take-Two has announced GTA 5 has now shifted 130m copies worldwide.

In Feburary earlier this year, Rockstar reported that 120m copies had been sold, meaning a further 10m copies were shifted in the last quarter. And that's before we even consider how many people downloaded it for free via the Epic Games Store.

For further context, one of the only paid games to have topped this number is Minecraft, which a couple of days ago reported it had sold 200m copies globally (via The Verge).

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Epic Games Store has given away more than $2,000/ 1700 worth of free games to individual players since it launched back in December 2018.

As calculated by PCGN, Epic's pledge to give away free games every few weeks has seen early adopters' libraries swell with thousands of dollars worth of free games.

By totting up the regular sale prices of each of the 108 free games that Epic has given away since launch, it's thought the savings equate to $2140.94 - that's the equivalent of around 1768.

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Grand Theft Auto 5 modders are at it again, tinkering with Rockstar's epic to make it look like something you'd need a next-generation console to run.

The video, below, is a wonderfully-put together trailer showcasing a work-in-progress visual overhaul mod called NaturalVision Evolved. While this mod is in the early access stage, it's clear to see impressive work has already been done to the game.

NVE makes numerous improvements to the weather effects, the game's lighting, ambient colours, world textures and building models, so much so that at points GTA 5 looks photo-real.

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You can download the iconic Grand Theft Auto 5 for free right now on the Epic Games Store. Bolstered by GTA Online, it's a game we've been playing for years and it shows no sign of slowing down. To mark the occasion, we've pulled out a few GTA 5 pieces of ours you ought to read.

Grand Theft Auto 5 review - Our original GTA 5 review from all the way back in 2013. To put that date into perspective: PlayStation 4 and Xbox One hadn't yet launched.

GTA 5's endless tapestry - The game's launch being so long ago means people have had plenty of time to play GTA 5 through more than once, and their objectives, it seems, get weirder each time they do.

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