Hardware insider RedGamingTech claims GTA 6’s demanding open world puts heavy pressure on console processors, making CPU limitations a bigger challenge than ray tracing.
Grand Theft Auto 6 may be limited to 30 frames per second (FPS) on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S because of their ageing processors rather than the game’s use of ray tracing.
According to hardware insider RedGamingTech (RGT), the game’s massive open world, large number of non-playable characters (NPCs) and complex systems place significant pressure on console CPUs.
In a post on X, RGT described GTA 6’s open world as “absolutely MASSIVE”, explaining that its scale and numerous in-game systems require considerable processing power.
The insider said console processors handle several demanding tasks, including physics calculations, artificial intelligence (AI), general game code and rendering threads. These workloads can make it difficult for the hardware to maintain higher frame rates.
Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S use eight-core processors based on AMD’s older Zen 2 architecture. While these CPUs were designed to support modern games, GTA 6’s reportedly complex simulation systems could push their capabilities to the limit.
This has led to speculation that CPU performance, rather than ray tracing, is the main reason Rockstar Games has reportedly targeted 30 FPS on consoles, including the more powerful PlayStation 5 Pro.
A 30 FPS limit may disappoint players who prefer smoother gameplay. Modern displays with high refresh rates can deliver a noticeably different experience at 60 FPS or above, with smoother movement and potentially lower input latency.
Players hoping to experience GTA 6 at higher frame rates may have to wait for its PC release. However, Rockstar has not officially confirmed the game’s PC launch date or its expected performance targets.
There is also speculation that the PC version could arrive sooner than previously expected. Reports suggest Rockstar is concerned that modders could use artificial intelligence to bring the console version of GTA 6 to PC.
The concern comes amid growing advances in AI-assisted console emulation and reported efforts to bring PlayStation-exclusive games to PC.
However, neither the alleged performance limitations nor the reported PC release concerns have been officially confirmed by Rockstar.