Days after Sony’s announcement, the pixel peeping experts at Digital Foundry have weighed in on whether they believe the PlayStation 5 Pro will be able to run Grand Theft Auto VI at a smooth 60 FPS in 4K resolution. “GTA 6” is of course one of the most highly anticipated games ever, but it’s not looking promising for gamers who are willing to part with the $699.99 required to buy Sony’s fastest ever console.
It all comes down to the CPU, which only sees a very minor 10% bump in clock speeds for the PlayStation 5 Pro over the base console. Technology editor Richard Leadbetter says that “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 30fps (or lower!)” These simulations are what make the cities in GTA feel alive, from NPC movement to traffic.
Gamers who currently own the “non-Pro” PlayStation 5 might be wondering what this means for GTA 6 on the console they already own. Rest easy, as Leadbetter remarked that “there’s good evidence to suggest that the [GTA 6 trailer from last year] was running on either PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.” At the very least, gamers who are excited for the next installment in this franchise should rest easy knowing that they’ll be getting a solid experience without the need to upgrade.
This news certainly won’t help Sony overcome the negativity surrounding the reveal of its new console, particularly the price. Many were pointing to GTA 6 as a game that might help justify the company’s positioning of the PlayStation 5 Pro. However, having Digital Foundry lay out why Sony’s fastest box ever likely won’t reach the 4K 60fps promise will hurt that argument. It’s especially painful in light of Sony’s emphasis on 60 FPS gameplay in its PS5 Pro reveal.
Ultimately, time will tell if the PlayStation 5 Pro ends up fulfilling the promise of 4K-at-60FPS gaming, or if Sony is about to relearn the lessons of the PlayStation 3 launch.