A new report has claimed that the latest round of Grand Theft Auto 6 screenshots may not run in real time, indicating that the final game may not look as good when it launches in November. Although nothing has been officially confirmed by Rockstar, some details have recently GTA 6 screenshots may indicate that they may not have been taken during real-time gameplay.
Graphical downgrades of games between promotion and release are always a controversial topic. There have been several notable examples in the past, of which perhaps the most famous is the original Watch Dogs. It's obviously frustrating for fans to have been sold the idea of one game, only to get another, which is why many are cautious when it comes to bringing in marketing for new games.
The Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer Theory goes to some serious extremes
Grand Theft Auto 6's latest theory is using oxygen intake, of all things, to support the idea that Rockstar is preparing a new trailer.
New GTA 6 screenshots may not be real-time, it's claimed
A new Digital Foundry report has commented on GTA 6The latest screenshots are likely to run in real time, saying: “With such a high level of fidelity on display, then a question still hangs over what platform is actually used to generate these images. To be clear, we find it unlikely that these are real-time results on PS5, Xbox Series X – or at best on the console, we will certainly be pleasantly surprised by this PS5 Pro. answered when it is released. But in many cases, the combination of untouched image quality, suggesting native 4K rendering (or higher), and inconsistent lighting on foreground characters cast doubt on its feasibility.” The report also follows up by noting that “these would be easy for Rockstar to generate within the game's development environment… with all settings turned up to 11.”
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The problem is that it's unclear how possible it is for current-gen consoles to achieve this level of graphical fidelity, at least at a playable frame rate. Digital Foundry doubts the possibility, but it's important to note that it doesn't imply that it's impossible either. It would be the biggest compliment to Rockstar if it could deliver these real-time graphics on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 or even PS5 Pro.
It is already known GTA 6 will have specific PlayStation 5 Pro enhancements, but how much of a difference that makes to the game's performance on the platform remains to be seen. Right now it looks like that version will likely be the best performing version of the GTA 6especially with a PC version yet to be confirmed.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is apparently set for a November 19, 2026 release date, after several previous delays. The game has been a long time coming, but the 13-year wait is finally coming to an end. With summer now underway, Rockstar is slowly revealing more details about GTA 6. However, the elusive third trailer is still nowhere to be seen, so hopefully the developer will deliver in due course.
- Released
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November 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Rating pending – likely adult 17+
