GTA 5 reportedly crashing older Xbox 360s, Microsoft offers possible fix

Grand Theft Auto 5, for as good as it is, is experiencing a few setbacks — primarily on older Xbox 360 systems. Several users on GTA Forums have reported a problem in which Grand Theft Auto 5 causes older Xbox 360 consoles (those manufactured between 2006 and 2008) to crash.

"I had no issues installing disc 1 onto the HD. No issues playing through the introductory mission. No issues of cut scene transition between Michael and Franklin," the user recounts.

"Once the driving portion of Franklin's 1st mission start, the game randomly freezes forcing me to reboot the Xbox.  There is no precursor for the game locking up; it appears to happen completely randomly and at different times during the mission.  It has locked up on me early in the mission when Franklin's buddy calls up on the cell phone just after the driving starts.  It has locked up during the second portion of the driving mission when the cops are chasing."

Those affected with the issue have attempted to reinstall the game, with some even changing the hard drive discs from the original 20GB model to the newer 250GB unit, to no avail. Xbox LIVE Support suggests the following steps that have yielded mixed results.

1. Delete all GTAV game data.
2. Clear system cache three times.
3. Delete marketplace data from storage system items.
4. Unplug console for three minutes.
5. Install disc 1.
6. Power off, do not insert disc 2.
7. Restart.
8. Install disc 2.
9. Play.

Although I'm playing the 360 version, mine is on a newer console so I've yet to experience any issues. Let us know in the comments if you're experiencing any freezing on an older Xbox 360.

[gtaforums.com via Kotaku]