Undeniably, one of the most highly anticipated games ever, GTA 6 is going to be a great event in itself. The most ambitious project ever handled by Rockstar Games, this promises astounding graphics and an expansive open world. However, speculation over recent times has stated that it might not run at 60 FPS, which raised huge concerns in the gaming community.
But why could this happen? Will GTA 6 be capped at 30 FPS, or will next-generation consoles and high-end PCs be able to handle it just fine? Here's everything you need to know about GTA 6's FPS performance.
GTA 6 is expected to be one of the most graphically intensive open-world games ever made. With Rockstar Games' new engine and realistic physics system, graphical fidelity will be pushed to an all-new high. However, for this technological leap, performance bottlenecks may need to be paid in return.
Particularly for consoles, a higher resolution and extreme detail level could reduce FPS.
Insanely complex open world - real-time lightning, highly-detailed NPCs and huge map.
Hardware Limitation of Consoles: The PS5 and XBox Series X are strong next-generation consoles; however, the quality of rendering may make it impossible to be at 60 FPS.
Advanced Ray Tracing and Effects: Realistic in-game reflection systems, lighting systems, and the shadow system, too, is going to face FPS drops in their usage.
There are many modern games with performance vs. quality modes; GTA 6 will be no exception.
Quality Mode - Using maximum graphics, 4K, but caps at 30 FPS.
Performance Mode - Using reduced graphical settings to reach 60 FPS.
Ray Tracing Mode - Using ray-traced lighting and reflections, running below 60 FPS.
If Rockstar optimizes the game well, next-gen consoles and high-end PCs might still enjoy smooth gameplay at higher frame rates.
If consoles struggle to reach 60 FPS, PC gamers might have a better chance assuming they have powerful hardware.
A high-end GPU (RTX 4080, RX 7900 XT) might be necessary for smooth 60 FPS gameplay.
DLSS and FSR upscaling technologies could help improve FPS.
That means that, if well-optimized, 60 FPS or better should be possible on PC.
But Rockstar has traditionally been pretty bad at optimizing their PC releases both GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2 were poorly optimized out of the box.
Capping GTA 6 at 30 FPS will surely disappoint many gamers. This will make fast-moving action and driving sequences of the game feel nowhere near as responsive as it does in 60 FPS gaming.
Slower animation and input lag may hamper gameplay.
Driving and combat could not feel quite as smooth.
Modders might create fixes for the PC version to unlock 60 FPS.
With the inclusion of motion blur and more involved animations, 30 FPS might be more tolerable; still, a true 60 FPS experience would be preferable for most gamers.
As it stands, Rockstar Games hasn't confirmed any performance details about GTA 6. Given the limitations in graphics and hardware for this game, there is a very real possibility that 30 FPS will become the norm for consoles.
If Rockstar includes several graphics modes, players will get to choose between better visuals or higher FPS. On PC, with the right hardware, 60 FPS or more should be achievable.
As time goes on and more details are announced, we'll have a much better idea of performance expectations for GTA 6. For now, all we can do is wait and see.
Would you prefer GTA 6 to be at 60 FPS, or do you feel that 30 frames per second will be acceptable for such a beautiful open-world game? Leave your comments below!