Sony has officially unveiled the PlayStation 5 Pro, a powerful console with a hefty price tag. It’s so expensive that it has immediately started turning gamers off, but it has been suggested that it’s by design, as the console will typically be marketed towards enthusiasts and not casual gamers.
With the lack of games on the horizon, talk has turned to GTA 6 being the ‘only title’ that would sway people to invest in a PS5 Pro. However, in a recent interview with Digital Foundry, it was suggested that even the might of the Pro wouldn’t be enough to push GTA 6’s frame rate up to 60 FPS.
‘It’s a CPU Problem’
It has almost been a year since the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer was released, and fans are waiting patiently for another update. When the trailer was published in December 2023, it broke viewership records, but then Rockstar Games was plunged back into silence and shadow, setting about completing what might be the fastest-selling game ever.
Following the reveal of the PlayStation 5 Pro, IGN sat down with Digital Foundry to grill tech experts on the expectations of the console running Grand Theft Auto 5.
To that end, Richard Leadbetter, the technology editor at DF, explained:
Grand Theft Auto games have always run complex simulations that push the CPU hard, which is why every GTA game has initially launched on their target platforms at 30 FPS or lower. The PS5 Pro uses the same CPU as the PS5 and it would be extremely challenging to hit 60 FPS if the base PS5 version is targeting 30 FPS.
This isn’t a GPU problem, it’s a CPU problem.
Of course, all bets are off if Rockstar is targeting 60 FPS on the standard PS5 – but we’ve seen no evidence so far to suggest it is.
Rockstar Games always tries to produce living, breathing worlds in Grand Theft Auto, and what we’ve seen from the development of GTA 6 suggests that concept will be taken to epic proportions. We can expect intensely realistic AI behaviour, the type which leads to random encounters and unique events occurring around every turn.
The PlayStation 5 Pro’s boost in power will inevitably make games look better and run more smoothly, and the 8K capabilities are sure to be leant on by some more high-end developers, but we’re not sure yet how it’ll impact Grand Theft Auto 5.
Is it a deal breaker for you if GTA 6 doesn’t run at 60 FPS on the PS5 Pro?
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It won’t the pro is a waste of money just buy a PC instead and Switch 2 is on the way too so those are better options I mean PS5 hasn’t had that great a library it’s only better than Xbox which isn’t saying much.
It’s not 100% but I have words to say.
When Grand Theft Auto 5 was released for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2022, Rockstar Games have tested the graphical scale for RAGE engine. On the XSS, it was 60 FPS 1080p and 30 FPS 1440p. On the PS5, they had an RT mode that enables the Ray Tracing alongside upscaled 4K at 60 FPS.
It isn’t a CPU problem, the CPU hasn’t any ‘ultra’ role – that DF says – in the arrangement of frames, it’s GPU’s role. With 45% of more power, they’re surely can optimize GTA 6 for PS5 Pro. PSSR even make it more possible.
Digital Foundry is nothing until the game launches.
The CPU of PS5 is enough to run the game in a massive detailed world.