GTA 6 unlikely to hit 60fps on PS5 Pro due to CPU limits

Digital Foundry experts predict Grand Theft Auto VI will not reach 60fps on PS5 Pro due to CPU bottlenecks, likely shipping at 30fps or 40fps instead.

Owners of Sony's PS5 Pro console should temper their expectations for Grand Theft Auto VI, as technical experts predict the title will likely not reach 60 frames per second. This assessment matters because the console's hardware improvements focus on graphical rendering rather than processing speed, leaving the game's heavy computational demands unaddressed. Buyers seeking a smooth high-frame-rate experience on this specific hardware may need to adjust their plans for the upcoming release.

CPU constraints prevent high frame rates on Sony console

The analysis centers on the technical architecture of the PS5 Pro and its interaction with the upcoming Rockstar Games title. Digital Foundry experts examined the console's specifications and compared them against the known requirements of the Grand Theft Auto series. They identified the central processing unit as the primary constraint for performance, rather than the graphics processor.

The PS5 Pro offers only a fractional performance increase in CPU speed compared to the standard PS5 model. This marginal bump is insufficient to handle the complex physics and simulation loads inherent in Grand Theft Auto VI. Consequently, the console cannot overcome the processing bottleneck that limits frame rates in previous Rockstar releases.

Historical data from Rockstar Games shows that Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto V, and Red Dead Redemption 2 all launched on consoles at 30 frames per second. Digital Foundry suggests that Grand Theft Auto VI will follow this pattern, likely shipping with a 30fps or 40fps mode instead of a 60fps option. The experts stated that a 60fps target feels like a bridge too far for the current hardware generation.

Digital Foundry acknowledged that these predictions remain speculative until Rockstar officially reveals the game's technical features. The experts noted that they would love to be proven wrong about the performance limitations. The final frame rate target will only be confirmed when the game launches.

Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to run at 30fps or 40fps on PS5 Pro due to CPU constraints. The console's marginal CPU upgrade over the standard PS5 does not alleviate the processing burden. Rockstar has not yet confirmed the specific performance modes for the title.