Tech expert says GTA 6 likely won't run at 60fps on the PS5 Pro, even if it'll probably have "higher quality visuals"

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Hitting 60fps could be "extremely challenging" for GTA 6, it's thought

GTA 6 trailer screenshots
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

If it follows a trend set by the previous Grand Theft Auto games, GTA 6 likely won't run at 60 frames per second even on the beefed-up PS5 Pro, one tech expert predicts, even if we can probably expect its visuals to be "higher quality."

The PS5 Pro was revealed earlier this week, and will include an upgraded GPU for up to 45% faster rendering, as well as improved ray tracing capabilities, and AI-driven upscaling to make visuals look clearer. However, even with all that, Digital Foundry's technology editor Richard Leadbetter isn't convinced that Rockstar Games' upcoming behemoth GTA 6 will see a huge boost when it comes to its frame rate. In an interview with IGN, Leadbetter gives a simple "no" when asked if he thinks the game could run at 60fps on the PS5 Pro.

"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!)," Leadbetter explains. "The PS5 Pro uses the same CPU as the PS5 and it would be extremely challenging to hit 60fps if the base PS5 version is targeting 30fps. This isn't a GPU problem, it's a CPU problem."

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Again though, that's not to say that it won't look good, as Leadbetter predicts: "What you will get will be higher quality visuals, but likely still running at similar frame-rates [to the base console]." On this, it's worth noting that he believes there's "good evidence" that the GTA 6 trailer that was revealed last year was running on either the Xbox Series X or PS5, which in theory means that even without the Pro model, things should hopefully look visually impressive on the existing current-gen consoles.

At the time of writing, Rockstar Games hasn't stated whether or not GTA 6 will be targeting 60fps, so we may end up being surprised. Even so, Leadbetter says "we've seen no evidence so far to suggest it is," so perhaps don't go getting your hopes up. 

Be sure to check out our comparison of the PS5 vs PS5 Pro specs to see everything that Sony's upcoming console has to offer. 

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.