GTA 6 is set to release this year, and a former Rockstar Games animator has shared his thoughts on how the game might perform.
Speaking on the Kiwi Talkz podcast, ex-Rockstar developer Mike York weighed in on whether GTA 6 will target 30fps or 60fps. “I don’t know if they’ll be able to pull off 60fps,” York said. “I think they’re aiming for a locked 30fps—meaning it never dips below that. They’ll optimize as much as possible, so it stays stable. It could occasionally push beyond 30fps, maybe hitting 40 or 50 at times. But once it releases on PC, with future hardware and optimizations, 60fps will probably be possible.”
Currently, GTA 5 can run at 60fps on PS5, but it originally launched on the PS3 in 2013, giving Rockstar years to refine it. With the graphical fidelity seen in the GTA 6 trailer, achieving a steady 30fps would be a technical feat in itself.
“I don’t think it’ll launch at 60fps unless it uses AI upscaling, like what PlayStation is doing,” York continued. “On a base PS5, I doubt it. Maybe on a PS5 Pro, but even then, I’m not sure.”
It’s worth noting that while York worked on GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, he left Rockstar in 2017. “I don’t know what they’re doing now,” he admitted. “But based on my experience, they’ll push the hardware to its limits and focus on optimizing later for 60fps. That’s not as important as making the game incredible at 30fps.”
As much as 60fps has become the standard for many PS5 titles, a rock-solid 30fps is preferable to an inconsistent frame rate that fluctuates wildly. If I’m speeding through Vice Beach with sand and tourists flying everywhere, the last thing I want is a frame rate drop ruining the moment.
While York remains in the dark about GTA 6’s details, one person with a wish for the game is Trevor’s voice actor. He hopes Trevor gets killed off right at the start—an ironic twist given how the character was first introduced in GTA 5.
