The road to GTA 6 has been a stressful one. Between the delays and Rockstar’s approach to marketing, it’s fallen to fans to keep the hype alive through online discourse. A marketing campaign is expected to start this month, and due to Rockstar’s recent lack of activity on Bilibili, many are adamant that the third trailer could be dropping as soon as today, July 23.
Aside from the trailers though, one of the biggest conversations taking place regarding the game is the framerate, and it’s becoming a tiresome debate. Will GTA 6 run at 60 frames-per-second at launch? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind, and it’s one neither Rockstar nor Take-Two have provided a concrete answer for. All that’s been said is GTA 6 “plays best” on PlayStation 5.
The Red Dead Redemption 2 Precedent
Consider this though: Rockstar gave us its answer years ago, and it all leads back to Red Dead Redemption 2. The latest Red Dead Redemption game launched on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 back in 2018, on consoles that weren’t capable of supporting 60fps. Since then we’ve had the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 Pro, both of which can support 60fps, and yet we’re still waiting on a new-gen optimisation update for Red Dead Redemption 2.
Despite the game being one of the most critically acclaimed titles of all time, Rockstar has consistently refused to release a 60fps patch for consoles. Even the recent PS5 Pro launch didn’t change that. The community has grown increasingly frustrated, with fans and even Arthur Morgan’s voice actor Roger Clark jokingly echoing the frustration over the missing 60 FPS version.
You could argue Rockstar is too busy working on GTA 6 to be updating Red Dead Redemption 2, but the studio has thousands of employees and still supports GTA Online with new heists. It definitely has the manpower to update a last-gen game for modern consoles.
The real reason is Rockstar doesn’t care — and that’s not a criticism. It’s actually a good thing. Rockstar would rather spend the bulk of its efforts making a great game than one that pushes hardware to its limits. The studio has a well-established history: GTA IV, GTA V, and Red Dead Redemption 2 all launched at 30fps on consoles, with the focus firmly on fidelity over framerate.
What the Experts Say
Digital Foundry, the respected technical analysis group, has been unequivocal in its assessment. They predict that Grand Theft Auto VI will likely run at 30 frames per second on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and even the more powerful PS5 Pro.
The problem isn’t the graphics card — it’s the CPU. Digital Foundry states that the CPU limitations make it extremely difficult to achieve a stable 60 FPS in such a demanding open-world environment. Even the PS5 Pro only offers “a fractional CPU performance bump” over the base PS5, making 60fps feel like “a bridge too far”.
As one analyst put it, “The GTA 6 world looks another level of magnitude more challenging than the likes of Dragon’s Dogma 2 or Baldur’s Gate 3”. The dense city locations are the most likely to drop frame-rates, and GTA VI‘s world is expected to be packed with detail.
A 40fps Compromise?
Digital Foundry has suggested that a 40 FPS mode could be a good option if 60 frames are unattainable. “In terms of frame time, it’s 25 ms — exactly in the middle between 30 FPS (33.3 ms) and 60 FPS (16.7 ms)”. This would be a viable compromise for players with 120Hz displays, offering smoother gameplay than 30fps without the CPU demands of a full 60fps mode.
Why This Is Actually Okay
While the radio-silence is frustrating, Rockstar Games does truly care about its product and playerbase, otherwise it wouldn’t have delayed the game as much as it has already.
If GTA VI does end up running at 60fps on the more powerful consoles, it won’t be because Rockstar has been up all night trying to make it happen. It’ll be because it was both possible and wouldn’t conflict with the overall vision of the project.
Records are almost guaranteed to be broken when GTA VI launches on November 19, but Rockstar has still been under pressure from day-one to release a game that’s worth the wait. If pushing the game to 60fps will jeopardise that, it won’t happen.
Also, Read
- It’s Officially Time to Start Worrying About GTA 6 Online
- GTA 6’s ‘Monstrous’ Map Even Has Former Developers Hyped
- GTA 6 Fans Are Right: Rockstar Knows PC Players Will Buy It Twice
The Red Dead Redemption 2 precedent tells us everything we need to know. Rockstar prioritises world detail, simulation complexity, and visual fidelity over higher frame rates. And for a game like GTA VI — arguably the most ambitious open-world game ever made — that might just be the right call.
Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. A PC release date has not yet been announced.