Rockstar Games is expected to push current-generation consoles to their limits with Grand Theft Auto VI, but that ambition could come at the cost of higher frame rates. According to the technical experts at Digital Foundry, the chances of GTA 6 launching with a 60 FPS mode on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, or even the PlayStation 5 Pro appear slim due to the game’s expected CPU demands and advanced world simulation.
Digital Foundry‘s William Judd believes the biggest challenge is not graphics performance but the amount of processing power required to simulate GTA 6’s massive open world. Modern games featuring large-scale simulation already place significant strain on CPUs, especially in busy cities. Judd argues that GTA 6 looks considerably more demanding than recent RPGs such as Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3, both of which can experience performance drops in densely populated areas.
The analyst also pointed out that GTA 6 introduces another layer of complexity by allowing players to travel seamlessly across land, sea, and air. Every vehicle requires additional physics calculations while the world continues to simulate traffic, pedestrians, and environmental systems in real time. Those combined workloads make maintaining a stable 60 FPS far more difficult than simply lowering graphics settings.
Digital Foundry highlighted several reasons why a 30 FPS target appears more realistic:
- GTA 6 is expected to feature one of Rockstar’s most detailed and simulation-heavy open worlds.
- CPU performance, rather than GPU power, is likely to be the biggest hardware limitation.
- High-speed traversal across cities, highways, oceans, and skies increases simulation demands.
- Vehicle physics and advanced environmental interactions add to the overall processing workload.
- Rockstar has historically prioritized visual quality over higher frame rates in its console releases.
Recent leaks have suggested that GTA 6 could include both Quality and Performance modes, but Digital Foundry remains skeptical. The team noted that many unofficial retailer listings simply assume modern games offer multiple graphics presets, and there is no evidence that a Performance mode would necessarily target 60 FPS. Instead, it could offer a more stable 30 FPS experience or a 40 FPS option for players using 120Hz displays.
The PlayStation 5 Pro also may not change the situation as much as some players expect. While Sony’s upgraded console delivers improved GPU performance, enhanced ray tracing capabilities, and PSSR upscaling technology, its CPU receives only a modest improvement over the standard PS5. Since GTA 6 is expected to be CPU-limited, those graphical enhancements are unlikely to unlock a stable 60 FPS mode.
Rockstar Games has not officially revealed the game’s performance targets, so Digital Foundry’s comments remain an informed technical analysis rather than confirmation. However, based on Rockstar’s previous releases and the level of detail already shown in GTA 6’s trailers, a launch targeting 30 FPS—or possibly 40 FPS on PlayStation 5 Pro—appears more likely than a full 60 FPS mode. Players may ultimately see Rockstar prioritize world detail, advanced simulation, and visual quality over higher frame rates when Grand Theft Auto VI arrives.
