GTA 6 on PS5 Pro: Rockstar Reportedly Tested 60 FPS, But 30 FPS Remains the Target
GTA 6 is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious open-world games ever made, but even Sony’s more powerful PS5 Pro may not be enough to push Rockstar’s next blockbuster beyond 30 frames per second at launch.
According to details from a leaked interview, Rockstar reportedly experimented with a 60 FPS build of GTA 6 on PS5 Pro. However, the studio suggested that reaching that performance level required major compromises to the world itself. One quoted remark claimed that the game could run at 60 FPS on PS5 Pro only after removing all the cars and most character heads, a comment that appears to be delivered with Rockstar’s usual sense of humor.
Joke or not, the message is clear: GTA 6’s world is extremely demanding.
The game’s setting, the state of Leonida and its neon-soaked Vice City, is expected to be packed with dense traffic, crowds, detailed interiors, lifelike NPC behavior, and advanced lighting. Those features are exactly what make GTA 6 look so impressive, but they also place heavy stress on console hardware.
Rockstar has reportedly chosen to prioritize visual quality and world density over a higher frame rate. That means GTA 6 is expected to target 30 FPS on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PS5 Pro. While many players hoped the upgraded PlayStation console would deliver a smoother 60 FPS mode, current information suggests that will not be the case at launch.
The PS5 Pro version should still offer advantages over the standard PS5 release. Reports indicate that the enhanced version may include ray-traced shadows and PSSR 2 upscaling, which should help produce sharper image quality, cleaner visuals, and more realistic lighting. In other words, GTA 6 on PS5 Pro may look better than on base consoles, even if it does not run at a higher frame rate.
The reason comes down to more than just graphics power. The PS5 Pro has a stronger GPU than the base PS5, but its CPU is still relatively similar. In a game like GTA 6, where thousands of systems may be running at once, including traffic simulation, pedestrian behavior, physics, AI, and environmental detail, the CPU can become a major limitation. A more powerful graphics chip can improve resolution and visual effects, but it cannot always solve performance challenges caused by a massive, dynamic open world.
There was previously some hope that GTA 6 on PS5 Pro could include a higher frame rate option after metadata reportedly pointed toward a 120Hz mode. In many console games, a 120Hz output can be used for a 40 FPS quality mode, offering a smoother experience than 30 FPS while still preserving high visual settings. For now, though, Rockstar has not confirmed such a mode.
That leaves the door slightly open for future updates. Rockstar has a long history of refining its games after launch, and a post-release performance patch is not impossible. Still, players expecting GTA 6 to arrive with a full 60 FPS option on PS5 Pro may want to lower expectations.
For now, GTA 6 appears designed around cinematic presentation, high-end visuals, and an incredibly detailed living world. The trade-off is frame rate. Fans who value smoother performance above all else may eventually need to wait for the PC version, where more powerful hardware could give players greater flexibility over graphics settings and frame rate targets.
GTA 6 remains one of the most anticipated games in the world, and the discussion around PS5 Pro performance shows just how high expectations have become. Even at 30 FPS, Rockstar’s next open-world epic could set a new benchmark for realism, scale, and visual detail on consoles.
