Pre-orders for GTA 6 started about a week ago, and Rockstar Games confirmed that the game is intended to be best experienced on the PS5. Although the company revealed several details about the versions for both PS5 and PS5 Pro, they have not provided specific performance metrics. While Rockstar has yet to confirm the frame rate, a recent analysis from Digital Foundry suggests that expectations for a 60 FPS mode should be tempered.
GTA 6 May Fall Short of 60 FPS on PS5 and PS5 Pro
Last month, a leak claimed that GTA 6 would provide both a quality and a performance mode, with the latter aiming for 60 FPS through reduced graphical quality. However, Digital Foundry deems this expectation unlikely based on the trailers, screenshots, and other materials released so far. Many modern games do offer various graphic modes, but that doesn’t guarantee that any of them will target 60 FPS. Instead, GTA 6 might have multiple visual profiles but could still run at 30 FPS, or possibly include a 40 FPS mode.
The Biggest Challenge: CPU Requirements
According to Digital Foundry, the main hurdle lies not in graphical fidelity, but rather in the CPU demands of the game. GTA 6 is set to feature an exceptionally detailed open world with numerous NPCs, traffic, physics, and environmental simulations. These systems require a significant amount of computational power, especially given that players can traverse the map at high speeds by car, boat, or plane.
Digital Foundry draws parallels between GTA 6 and other technically demanding games like Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3, which already place a heavy strain on modern hardware in populated areas. The scale at which GTA 6 operates seems even larger, making stable 60 FPS significantly more challenging.
Previous Titles and Their Frame Rates
To put this into perspective, previous titles such as GTA 4, GTA 5, and Red Dead Redemption 2 were all launched with a target of 30 FPS on consoles. Although GTA 5 later received a 60 FPS update on newer hardware, Rockstar has traditionally prioritized enhanced graphics and more world details over higher frame rates for new releases at launch.
What About the PS5 Pro?
At first glance, the PS5 Pro seems like a likely candidate for achieving a higher frame rate. Reports suggest, however, that its improvements primarily concern graphics. While the console boasts a more powerful GPU, enhanced ray tracing performance, and support for PSSR upscaling, its CPU is only marginally faster than that of the standard PS5. Since GTA 6 will likely be heavily CPU-limited, these GPU enhancements alone may not suffice to push the game to 60 FPS. Instead, a 40 FPS mode on the PS5 Pro appears to be more realistic.
In conclusion, while fans eagerly await GTA 6, it seems increasingly probable that the title may not achieve a consistent 60 FPS, even on the PS5 Pro. As the gaming community continues to embrace more advanced technology, the balance between graphical fidelity and performance becomes ever more complex. It remains to be seen how Rockstar will address these challenges, and whether innovative solutions will emerge in this highly anticipated title.
