Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 recently generated a staggering $1 billion in revenue in a single hour. Rockstar Games locked in the release date and officially opened pre-orders. Furthermore, eager fans continue to analyze the newest screenshots, since the developer still has not released a third trailer. However, a concerning report just surfaced, revealing a harsh reality about the highly anticipated game’s overall performance.
The CPU Bottleneck on Current Consoles
According to a new technical analysis by Digital Foundry, GTA 6 will likely fail to reach 60 FPS on current-generation consoles. Consequently, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X simply lack the required processing power. Even the upcoming PS5 Pro cannot solve this specific problem. The PS5 Pro primarily offers upgrades to its GPU. Meanwhile, GTA 6 heavily taxes the CPU.
Therefore, what causes this massive CPU bottleneck? The answer lies in Rockstar’s extreme simulation elements and high visual fidelity. The game features incredibly dense cities. Additionally, it relies heavily on complex computational physics and massive crowds of NPCs. Furthermore, moving rapidly through these environments via fast cars or aircraft pushes current console CPUs to their absolute limits.
Historically, Rockstar always prefers visual fidelity over high frame rates. For instance, GTA 4, GTA 5, and Red Dead Redemption 2 all launched with a strict 30 FPS cap on consoles. Occasionally, those older titles even struggled to maintain that lower baseline. Digital Foundry suggests Rockstar will follow this exact pattern. The studio will choose a highly detailed open world locked at 30 FPS over downgraded visuals.
Blind Hype & Scalped GTA 6 Pre-Orders
Despite these clear technical limitations, gamers display unwavering faith in the title. Pre-orders continue selling at a tremendous pace. Shockingly, impatient buyers are actually purchasing scalped pre-orders. They spend this extra money even though official retail channels impose absolutely zero limits on general availability. The title clearly carries a massive impact on Rockstar’s reputation and overall earnings.
So, when will players finally experience GTA 6 in its full, smooth glory? Currently, console players might have to wait for an entirely new hardware generation to see higher frame rates. Eventually, the PC version will allow gamers with high-end rigs to hit 60 FPS and experience better visuals. However, Rockstar has not set a PC release date yet. Therefore, PC players face an agonizing wait of at least a year or more after the initial console launch.
