Grand Theft Auto V is coming this fall, developer Rockstar Games announced today.

The fifth installment in the popular open-world action series has been delayed from its initial spring release and will now be out on September 17 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Here's Rockstar:

Dear all

Today, we have an official release date to share with you: Grand Theft Auto V will arrive in stores on September 17, 2013.

We know this is about four months later than originally planned and we know that this short delay will come as a disappointment to many of you, but, trust us, it will be worth the extra time. GTAV is a massively ambitious and complex game and it simply needs a little more polish to be of the standard we and, more importantly, you require.

To all Grand Theft Auto fans, please accept our apologies for the delay, and our promise that the entire team here is working very hard to make the game all it can be. We are doing all we can to help ensure it will meet if not exceed your expectations come September – we thank you for your support and patience.

Yours,
The GTA Team

The folks behind Grand Theft Auto V have been slowly sharing details about the highly-anticipated blockbuster for a few months now. In the fall, we found out that there will be multiple protagonists, and that the world is bloody gigantic.

For more on the newest GTA, check out our timeline.

We've posted one of Amirul Hafiz's Mario X GTA creations before, but he's recently created a few more. I couldn't help but share them with you all, especially because that Bowser one is genius.

Potential new phone background? Definitely a contender.

Mario Mugshot [deviantART via CyberWolf]

Sure, Jason Brody is also featured here—he's the protagonist of Far Cry 3—but who cares? He's riding in the back anyway.

This bizarre video by insanegaz proves that the main characters from Far Cry 3 can be just as cool outside an island paradise as they are inside of it. Well, not Jason. He just kind of falls over at some point and them mysteriously, another one appears to take his place. Creepy.

Go away, Jason. I want to play a game as Vaas. Open world game like Grand Theft Auto or, yes, Far Cry 3 would do. Blissful soundtrack optional.

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV VAAS & JASON ON SNOWCROSS BIKE HD [insanegaz]

Grand Theft Auto IV modder H1Vltg3 has built this incredible Iron Man mod for the PC version of the game, which does so much more than just reskin the main character.

The mod also contains a script which dramatically alters the way you can play the game, giving him proper hand repulsor beam effects and the ability to fly that has its own animation and sound effects. As you can see above, he even has the three-point landing.

Iron Man Script MKIII [GTA4 Mods, via taltigolt]

Malaysian artist Amirul Hafiz looks to Grand Theft Auto V for inspiration in this Mario piece. He's got the colours almost perfect.

GRAND THEFT MARIO KART [DeviantArt, via it 8-bit]

Rockstar's 2002 classic Vice City remains so popular today as much for its bottling of mid-80s culture and excess as it does the actual game.

The game's soundtrack rightly gets a lot of credit for this, as does the colour palette, but have you ever wondered which movies served as the inspiration for the neon-infused Vice City itself? I mean, beyond Scarface?

Well, here you go. Rockstar has shared thirteen films it says "served as perfect inspiration for the stories, characters and scenery that drove the world and vibe of Vice City".

The link below contains explanations just why they inspired the development team, while the gallery above features the thirteen films and their trailers.

A Totally Rad Roundup of 80s Flicks in Honor of Vice City [Rockstar]

Less Than Zero (1987)

The Long Good Friday (1980)

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

Manhunter (1986)

First Blood (1982)

Road Warrior (1981)

Aliens (1986)

Sudden Impact (1983)

Top Gun (1986)

Body Double (1984)

Rocky IV (1985)

Over The Top (1987)

Scarface (1983)

Over the weekend, Rockstar collected every piece of promotional art so far made available for Grand Theft Auto V, cleaned them up, made sure each had a nice big background behind them then then scaled them to wallpaper size.

Some feature the game's main protagonists, some don't. Some give us a good look at locations that'll be in the game, some don't. What they all have in common, though, is that like pretty much everything else that comes out of a Rockstar game on the creative side of things, the art here is incredible.

You'd think the horse stealing the car would be the funniest bit. But no. I like the dude's obvious disappointment at the overall outcome at the very end.

"aaww".

For more horse-in-Grand-Theft-Auto-IV madness, see here.

Horse [Premium Gifs]

Thanks to a dedicated community, the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV has been continually polished and upgraded since its release all those years ago. To the point where, now, it looks like something from the future.

The iCEnhancer series of mods, which we've featured before, are being updated to 2.5 (this is an alpha preview), and the results are amazing.

This looks as good as a quality first-person shooter. The fact that this kind of fidelity can be applied to an open world game the size of Liberty City is just mind-boggling.

iCEnhancer 2.5 Alpha - First preview [YouTube]

Despite the ease of Steam and the comfort of my couch, I still own physical copies of both Vice City and San Andreas on PC. Why? Because of the maps.

It's long been a tradition with Rockstar's open world games, right through to GTAIV and Red Dead Redemption, to include physical maps of the game world, something older gamers appreciate in an era of on-disc manuals and guides.

Recognising, though, that in 2012 a lot of people are getting their games digitally, and thus missing out on that stuff, Rockstar has made available image files for the three PS2-era GTA games, complete with their fake ads.
Sadly, they're one-sided, meaning you're missing out on the amazing Vice City poster you got on the reverse, but hey, they're free, try not to complain.

Download High Res Maps for GTA Trilogy Titles [Rockstar]