Like many other GTA fans including myself, you’ve probably rewatched the new Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer 2 more times than you’d care to admit—pausing, zooming, and peeking at every tiny detail trying to uncover hidden easter eggs. From the shimmering ocean waves to the bubbles rising inside a bottle of beer, Rockstar’s attention to visual fidelity is borderline obsessive. And all that amazing footage for the GTA 6 trailer 2 was captured on a standard PlayStation 5. That alone is impressive, but what happens when GTA 6 arrives on the upcoming PS5 Pro?
Gaming tech experts and diehard fans alike are buzzing over that question. To break it down, IGN recently spoke to Alexander Battaglia from Digital Foundry, and his insights paint a strong picture of what we can expect from Rockstar’s next big leap and how the PS5 Pro will probably elevate it further.
Cutscenes or Gameplay? What the Second GTA 6 Trailer Tells Us
According to Battaglia, the trailer likely consists of real-time cutscenes rather than pure gameplay, running at a cinematic 30 frames per second. That explains the letterboxing (the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen) and the pristine level of polish. While it’s not exactly how the game will be when you’re behind the wheel, it’s a solid representation of the engine’s abilities.
Battaglia told IGN, “The trailer is running at 30 fps and is completely made up of — presumably — real-time cutscenes and not gameplay — hence the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen”. He further added, “I imagine the game’s primary target for such cutscenes is 30 fps, and it’s likely the same for gameplay.”
Rockstar has historically targeted 30 fps for its open-world games, and GTA 6 doesn’t appear to be breaking that tradition. The ambitious scale of the game, especially with what looks fully implemented ray-traced global illumination (RTGI), makes it very unlikely we’ll see a full 60 fps experience on consoles, even the PS5 Pro.
PS5 Pro Will Be the Sweet Spot Between Performance and Visuals
The PS5 Pro, expected to launch before GTA 6 hits in 2025, could be a game-changer not necessarily by doubling the frame rate, but by improving the quality of the 30 fps playthrough. Battaglia points to PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), an AI-based upscaling technology similar to AMD’s FSR, as a key asset. This could clean up image quality, sharpen textures, and reduce blurriness while still keeping the performance stable.
Battaglia says, “Given the image quality in the trailer, which may well be a use of FSR1 (AMD’s AI performance enhancing tool and the basis of PS5 Pro’s PSSR) from a low internal resolution, PS5 Pro could enhance image quality through the use of PSSR making a less aliased, more detailed image with less blur.”
Between Fidelity Mode (beautiful visuals at 30 fps) and Performance Mode (smooth gameplay at the cost of resolution), the PS5 Pro might finally let you have your cake and eat it too. That’s a huge win for players who want Vice City’s neon-drenched streets to look their absolute best without facing lag or delay.
Ray tracing is baked into the core logic of Grand Theft Auto 6’s graphics system. From the way light spills onto the pavement to how reflections dance across windows and car bodies, RTGI is core to why the game looks so jaw-droppingly real. Even though the standard PS5 handles it decently, the PS5 Pro is expected to upgrade the level.
Battaglia notes that the second trailer showed off more improved ray-traced reflections, especially on glass surfaces and water, and that’s where the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro version could flex its muscles. If Rockstar chooses to optimize for it, players on Sony’s beefed-up console will enjoy another version of GTA 6 with richer, deeper, and more impressive content and overall visuals.
Of course, not every system will get the same treatment. The Xbox Series X should offer comparable performance to the PS5, but the Series S is a different story. Rockstar will have to dial back major features like ray tracing or reduce resolution to make it possible to run on Microsoft’s budget-friendly machine so is results in a much more stripped-down version of the game that still plays well, but without the bells and whistles.
As of now, GTA 6 is still a year out, and Rockstar has only released two trailers. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned, this game is aiming high not only in terms of scope, but in sheer visual artistry. With PS5 Pro set to hit the market, the possibility of an even more polished, less aliased version of Vice City is very real.
So, will GTA 6 look better on PS5 Pro or will GTA 6 run on 60 fps? For the first part of the question, all signs point to yes, it will run with improved performance and graphics on PS5 Pro. But don’t expect 60 fps gameplay as that’s still highly unlikely given how much Rockstar is leaning into ray tracing and the complexity of the world and what we know from Grand Theft Auto games’ past.
