Been told a few times that playing 5 first is a good way to learn the controls. Ten weeks is enough time.
What I am worried about is the opposite problem. If I play 5 now and then immediately play 6, am I going to spend the whole game noticing what changed rather than just being in it? Has anyone done this deliberately before a sequel and regretted it?
Accepted answer
I would not, and your instinct about the failure mode is the right one.
Playing them back to back means you spend the first ten hours doing comparison rather than exploration. If you want controller familiarity, two evenings with V is plenty. A full playthrough will cost you your first impression of the new one.
There is also a spoiler angle nobody has mentioned. V is thirteen years old and everything about it is discussed openly, including things this game may reference.
Two evenings it is. That is a much smaller commitment than I was talking myself into.
I did this before RDR2 with the first Red Dead and I regret it. I spent the whole sequel noticing rather than being in it.
Two evenings for the controls, then stop. That is the version of the advice that actually helps.
Two evenings is also enough to work out whether you actually like the driving, which is the thing that decides whether you like the series.
genuinely jealous of anyone who gets to play this without thirteen years of gta v in their head