The announcement of GTA 6 sparked discussions among fans. How well will the game perform on PS5 and XSX consoles? Will their capabilities be sufficient to delight players with outstanding graphics and a vast open world without compromises? What changes can we expect in the PC version of the game? The optimization of the upcoming gaming blockbuster is one of the key questions. Let's delve into it!
Preparing GTA 6 for Release on PS5 and XSX
It's well known that Rockstar prioritizes the console release. For instance, considering the life cycle of GTA 5, its peak sales occurred on PlayStation and Xbox. With no doubt, Rockstar will ensure the sixth installment of GTA flawless performance on the targeted PS5 and XSX. Given the announcement of 2025 as the release window, there's not much time. The studio must already be fully immersed in optimizing, aiming to once again impress console players with the graphics, detailing, and scale of GTA 6.
The original platforms for the release of GTA 5 were the PS3 and X360, significantly less powerful than the current PS5 and XSX. This time, the limits of console hardware won't be a major hurdle. However, minor downgrades are possible. Rockstar will likely seek a balance between graphic quality and performance. While we wouldn't expect the introduction of ray tracing in every gaming mode, the frame rate may be locked at 30 in graphics quality mode. Reducing draw distance, texture quality, and volumetric effects, as well as disabling some resource-intensive techs will provide a high performance. Nothing new for modern releases. No doubt exists that the game will run stably at 60FPS, without drops or micro-freezes, with graphic performance equivalent to that shown in the first trailer.
Compromises of Xbox Series S
The budget-friendly and compact Microsoft Xbox Series S console is poised to be a real headache for Rockstar specialists. The lower computing power of the CPU and GPU, coupled with limited RAM, will inevitably require compromises in image resolution, widespread reduction in graphic quality, and the disabling of all but essential effects.
Considering the graphic capabilities of Series S, especially for a game like GTA 6, it's important not to overestimate the situation. In any case, Rockstar makes the most of all available computing power to ensure the smooth operation of GTA 6. The upcoming update of the ninth-generation consoles can increase the enthusiasm of console players. We're talking about the PS5 Pro, updated Xbox Series X (Brooklyn), and Series S (Elwood). They could potentially emerge as early as 2024, offering improved performance in 4K. If so, Rockstar is likely working on a version of GTA 6 that fully unleashes the potential of the future hardware. Additionally, we might witness collaborations between both platforms and GTA 6 in the form of joint bundles. Such a partnership would be beneficial for everyone involved.
How will GTA 6 run on PC?
The release of Grand Theft Auto on PC is a different story for Rockstar, always commencing after the console release and proceeding independently. Any PC enthusiast knows that every game has minimum and recommended system requirements, as well as builds that are orders of magnitude weaker or two orders of magnitude more powerful. Taking into account the maximum number of configurations and preventing possible technical issues is no easy task.
Considering the trends of recent years, Rockstar will leverage the capabilities of modern SSDs and graphics accelerators to their full potential. Ray tracing will undoubtedly be present in the PC port. Therefore, to run GTA 6 at minimum settings, an 8-core processor with a frequency of 3.5 GHz, 16 GB of RAM, and an RTX 3070 or 6700XT graphics card with 8 GB or 12 GB of video memory will be required. The game will require between 300 and 500 gigabytes of free space on a speedy PCI-Express 4.0 SSD. These requirements are quite acceptable by 2025 standards, the year of the expected release of GTA 6 on consoles, as the mentioned hardware will be five years old by then. Anticipating such system requirements, we expect that Rockstar is developing Grand Theft Auto VI as a mass-market product for a broad audience, and most PC gamers should be able to try it on low or medium graphics settings. Outlining the system requirements for recommended or maximum graphics settings is premature now. The PC version of GTA 6 will inevitably receive additional technologies, such as support for ultra-high resolutions, new effects, and particles, etc. That will require additional computing power that is not available on the market today.
If Rockstar intends to bring joy to PC players with a top-notch version of GTA 6, fully utilizing the potential of upcoming graphics technology, the wait could be one and a half to two years after the console launch. Anticipating the arrival of GTA 6 on PC is reasonable, either in the early or late months of 2027. This timeline aligns with the production cycles seen in the releases of GTA 5 and RDR 2 on PC.