 Critics concurred that Grand Theft Auto V was among seventh generation console gaming 's best and a great closing title before the eighth generation 's emergence . Polygon 's Plante observed that the game would be " a bridge between games ' present and the future " , and declared it " the closure of this generation , and the benchmark for the next " . VideoGamer.com 's Simon Miller considered it " the ultimate swansong for this console cycle " that would " cast a long shadow over the next " . Three days after its release , the game ranked second on IGN 's list of " The Top 25 Xbox 360 Games " . Editor Ryan McCaffrey considered that the scale and detail of the open world succeeded the majority of other Xbox 360 games . He wrote that the game is " a triumph both for gamers and for the medium itself , and it deserves its runaway success " . Hardcore Gamer placed it at number three on their " Top 100 Games of the Generation " list . They cited the game 's improved shooting and driving mechanics over its predecessors . They also considered that the multiple protagonist design " was a welcome change of pace " and could become a benchmark for the eighth generation of gaming . In December 2013 , The Daily Telegraph listed the game among their " 50 best games of the console generation " . They called it a " cultural behemoth " that " will be Rockstar 's lasting legacy " . 
