GTA 6 has introduced a new trailer. Here you can primarily see story elements and admire the beautiful graphics. But what lies behind the pretty graphics that you will be able to admire on the PS5 and Xbox Series X starting in 2026?
What engine does GTA 6 use? Rockstar relies on the so-called “Rockstar Advanced Game Engine” for GTA 6, often abbreviated as RAGE. The engine was developed by Rockstar San Diego in collaboration with other developers, first showcased in 2006, and was already used in GTA 5.
The details and content shown so far in the 2nd trailer for GTA 6 are already impressive and show how stunning the graphics of GTA 6 could be at launch. However, this could come at a price when the game releases on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
GTA 6 relies on the engine of its predecessor, which is said to be significantly improved
What does GTA 6 offer in terms of graphics and technology? Ryan Woods, Principal Engine Programmer at Rockstar Games, explained back then (via Reddit.com) that RAGE has been significantly improved and is expected to utilize state-of-the-art graphics technologies. This includes advanced ray tracing for realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows (such as Ray Traced Global Illumination).
With the improved lighting, characters and environments immediately appear much more vibrant and believable, especially under changing lighting conditions.
Another feature that is expected to be implemented is “procedural object generation.” The advantage of this is that developers do not have to place each tree and bush individually; instead, they can leave the work to the engine. Many objects can thus be placed randomly, making the game feel more alive than if developers placed everything manually in the game.
A third point that GTA 6 is likely to utilize is the built-in SSD in the gaming consoles: The SSD technology in both consoles enables fast loading times and smooth world streaming, which reduces loading times and improves gameplay flow.
Beautiful graphics, but limited FPS on PS5 and Xbox?
What is the problem? Beautiful graphics typically come at a price, which is high performance demands. It is not unlikely that Rockstar will limit the frame rate (FPS) in GTA 6 to ensure stable performance.
GTA 6 focuses on a highly immersive open world and aims to push the boundaries of open-world experiences with a densely packed, realistic urban environment, featuring complex NPC behaviors and simulations, which will heavily tax the CPU.
30 FPS is considered likely, as the dense open world and complex ray tracing calculations will place a heavy load on the CPU. The PS5 Pro could potentially offer even better graphics than the Xbox Series X due to its more powerful GPU, but remains limited on the CPU side. The PS5 Pro provides only about 10% more performance regarding the CPU compared to the standard PS5.
Players on the standard PS5 and Xbox Series X should not expect 60 FPS. A recent example of such limitations is Dragon’s Dogma 2: The game also features a large open world and relies on a strong CPU, which caused the game to run poorly at launch on the consoles, and players had to deal with significant limitations.
Those who want to game have three options: mobile gaming on the phone, on a gaming PC, or on a gaming console. Consoles are especially considered a price tip, as you can play at high settings for relatively little money over the years. But exactly that price advantage might now be lost: PS5 and Xbox are currently losing their most important purchase argument against the gaming PC
