Digital Foundry has cast doubt on rumors that Grand Theft Auto 6 will run at 60 frames per second on the PlayStation 5 Pro, arguing the game's high graphical fidelity and dense map will limit performance to 30fps or at best 40fps. The technical analysis follows speculation fueled by a Brazilian retailer listing and a Polish podcast claiming Rockstar is aiming for a 60fps mode.
Digital Foundry's Analysis
In a recent YouTube video, Digital Foundry examined the technical demands of GTA 6 based on trailers and screenshots. They praised the game's use of ray tracing but concluded that the combination of realistic graphics and a large, detailed open world would be too demanding for a stable 60fps. The console's CPU, even in the PS5 Pro, is not significantly improved over the base model, limiting performance gains.
An accompanying article on Digital Foundry's website notes that if the PS5 Pro could run GTA 6 at 60fps, Sony would have highlighted it in its PlayStation Blog post about the game. The post only mentions DualSense haptic feedback and fast loading, not performance or graphics.
Rumors and Counterpoints
Despite Digital Foundry's skepticism, rumors persist. A now-removed listing from Brazilian retailer Kabum stated GTA 6 is optimized for PS5 Pro with 'enhanced performance' and 'more stable frame rates.' Digital Foundry dismisses this as boilerplate text reused from other PS5 Pro listings, not official Rockstar information.
The Polish podcast Rock & Borys claims Rockstar is aiming for a 60fps mode at launch but may release it as a post-launch update. The podcast previously correctly predicted The Witcher 3 DLC, but its GTA 6 claim remains unverified.
Rockstar's Track Record
Rockstar has historically prioritized 30fps at high fidelity for initial releases, as seen with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. GTA 5 later received a 60fps update on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Red Dead Redemption 2 is rumored to get a next-gen upgrade that could boost performance, but no official announcement has been made.
As of now, Rockstar has not confirmed any performance modes for GTA 6. The game is expected to launch in 2025 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with a PC version likely later.
