Let’s be honest — when you watched the new Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer, did you get distracted by how insanely realistic the beer bubbles looked? You’re definitely not alone. Rockstar’s second GTA 6 trailer has racked up hundreds of millions of views, and fans everywhere are blown away by the game’s visual fidelity — especially knowing that all of it was captured on a PS5.

But that leads to the big question: is what we’re seeing a reflection of real gameplay, or are we being set up for disappointment?

To get a better understanding, IGN reached out to Alexander Battaglia from Digital Foundry, who confirmed that the trailer is likely made up of real-time cutscenes running at 30 frames per second — not direct gameplay. The cinematic black bars and smooth visuals are usually signs of that. Battaglia suggests both the cutscenes and gameplay are probably targeting 30 fps.

That’s not unexpected. On current-gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, 30 fps is standard for fidelity modes, which prioritize high resolution and graphical features. Performance modes often boost the framerate to 60 fps, but at the cost of resolution and effects. The upcoming PS5 Pro could change that balancing act.

Sony’s new console is designed to close the gap between fidelity and performance. Battaglia points out that the high image quality in the trailer may come from AMD’s FSR1 — an upscaling tech — which forms the foundation of the PS5 Pro’s upcoming PSSR feature. In theory, this means sharper, less blurry visuals without sacrificing framerate.

Personally, I’ve always leaned toward performance mode over fidelity — I’d rather have a smooth 60 fps experience. But one of the PS5 Pro’s main selling points is that you might not have to choose. If the tech works as promised, it could allow both crisp visuals and solid performance.

So, will GTA 6 run at 60 fps on console? According to Digital Foundry’s breakdown on YouTube, probably not.

The team points out that GTA 6’s heavy use of ray-traced global illumination (RTGI), massive open world, and cinematic presentation make it extremely unlikely to hit 60 fps — at least not consistently. At best, we might see a 40 fps mode on select consoles, but 30 fps seems like the default.

What makes 60 fps such a challenge? Ray tracing, mostly. It’s not just a flashy feature — it’s core to the game’s entire aesthetic. The lighting in Rockstar’s version of Florida (called Leonida) is a huge part of GTA 6’s identity, from sun-drenched beaches to neon-soaked city nights. Removing RTGI would fundamentally change how the game looks and feels.

Battaglia believes the PS5 Pro could take that ray tracing and push it even further. From glass reflections to windshield detail, GTA 6’s second trailer leans hard into real-time ray-traced reflections — and the Pro might showcase them at a higher fidelity than standard consoles.

Compare the latest trailer to the first one and you’ll see what Digital Foundry is talking about. Transparent surfaces, reflections in beer bottles, and the clarity of car windows all look significantly improved — but all that visual polish comes at a cost to performance.

For PS5 Pro users, that tradeoff might be worth it. The enhanced hardware could allow Rockstar to deliver those visuals without compromising as much on resolution or blur. It’s already being tested with games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is shaping up to be the best showcase yet for the PS5 Pro.

Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S presents a different challenge. It’s the weakest of the current-gen consoles that will run GTA 6, and Digital Foundry suspects Rockstar may have to drop ray tracing entirely on the Series S just to hit 30 fps — possibly with sub-1080p resolution. That said, the Series S does share a similar CPU and storage setup with the Series X, so some compromises might still work.

With GTA 6 still about a year away, there’s a lot we don’t know. But the leap in visual quality between the two trailers alone shows how seriously Rockstar is treating ray tracing this time around. If history is any indicator — and it usually is with Rockstar — GTA 6 will likely be a 30 fps game on consoles. But it may also be the most visually impressive GTA yet.