Grand Theft Auto 5’s current-gen update is launching on PS5 and Xbox Series X in November, 2021, and that comes with the assumption that the game will now be able to take advantage of the more powerful hardware. However, Rockstar has so far been tight-lipped on what, exactly, the updated version of GTA 5 will offer.
Luckily for GTA fans, though, the German PlayStation Blog (link) may have spilled the beans on some features players can expect when they return to Los Santos this November. Namely, the current-gen versions of GTA 5 will support 4K at 60fps, at least on PS5.
The blog entry – loosely machine translated – reads: "You have never seen the criminal metropolis Los Santos so beautiful when the skyline shines thanks to a bold graphic update in crisp 4K resolution and you make the city extremely smooth and unsafe thanks to a smooth 60 FPS."
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Rockstar has yet to reveal any official details about Grand Theft Auto 5’s current-gen update, so while the official PlayStation blog is as trusted a source as we can get until then, it’s still best taken with a grain of salt until the developer itself confirms support for 4K and 60fps.
It’s also worth noting that these details specifically relate to the PS5 version of GTA 5, and says nothing of how the game will perform on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles. While we do expect GTA 5 on the Series X to perform similarly to the PS5 version, Series S remains a mystery. Do expect some compromises on Microsoft’s digital-only console, though, as it tends to target a resolution of 1440p.
Shouldn’t 4K 60fps be a guarantee for GTA 5 on current-gen consoles?
It’s easy to assume that the PS5 and Xbox Series X, in terms of performance, will eat up GTA 5 for breakfast. The game is, at its core, running on a years-old engine at this point. Surely, a high framerate at 4K should be the bare minimum, right?
If only it were that simple. Firstly, we still don’t know of any other enhancements Rockstar plans to add to the current-gen update of GTA 5. Improvements like better lighting, higher pedestrian counts and enhanced particle effects can all impact the game’s overall performance, which could certainly rock the framerate boat.
If you’ve played GTA 5 (and if you’re reading this, you probably have), you know it’s a very busy game. It’s an open-world, for one, but also a chaotic one. Things can get extremely busy, especially during intense car chases and street-level shootouts.
During more action-packed scenes, it’s likely GTA 5 will employ dynamic resolution – which would temporarily lower it from 4K – to help maintain that 60fps performance. This wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary, as even recent titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom Eternal employ this technique to keep gameplay smooth.
With all this in mind, we think GTA 5 will likely manage a 4K 60fps performance on PS5 and Xbox Series X. However, we’d be extremely impressed if the game managed to maintain this at all times given its open world nature. Rockstar is, however, a very capable studio, so we’re very much open to being surprised in this regard.
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