GTA 6 is shaping up to be one of the most demanding games of this console generation, and that has made the PS5 Pro version particularly interesting.
Rockstar has already shown an impressive level of detail in GTA 6. From the huge amount of activity across Vice City to the improved animations, traffic, lighting and NPC behavior, the game appears to be pushing the hardware much harder than GTA 5 ever did.
That raises an important question: how much better could GTA 6 actually run on PS5 Pro?
40FPS Could Be the Sweet Spot
A lot of the discussion around GTA 6 has focused on whether Rockstar can achieve 60FPS.
But there could be another option that makes more sense: 40FPS.
A 40FPS mode could provide a noticeable improvement in smoothness compared with 30FPS while allowing Rockstar to maintain much of the visual quality that makes GTA 6 so impressive.
For players with 120Hz displays, 40FPS could provide a much smoother experience than a traditional 30FPS mode.
The CPU Could Be the Biggest Problem
The PS5 Pro has significantly more GPU power than the standard PS5, but that doesn't automatically mean GTA 6 will run at 60FPS.
GTA 6 isn't only demanding because of its graphics.
Rockstar is building an enormous living world that has to constantly simulate pedestrians, vehicles, traffic, physics, police activity, animations and countless other systems.
Those calculations put a lot of pressure on the CPU.
If the CPU becomes the main limitation, adding more GPU power won't suddenly double the frame rate.
That's one of the biggest reasons why a 40FPS mode could be more realistic than 60FPS.
The Graphics Could Be Where PS5 Pro Really Shines
Even if GTA 6 remains at 30FPS on PS5 Pro, the console could still offer a significantly better visual experience.
The additional GPU power could potentially be used for higher-quality lighting, better reflections, improved shadows, more stable image quality and other graphical improvements.
Instead of using that extra power entirely to increase frame rate, Rockstar could use it to make GTA 6 look even more impressive.
PSSR Could Help
Another interesting factor is Sony's PSSR technology.
The technology is designed to reconstruct a sharper image from a lower internal resolution, potentially allowing games to achieve a better balance between image quality and performance.
For a game as demanding as GTA 6, that could give Rockstar more room to experiment with different graphical settings.
However, PSSR isn't a magic solution. It can't eliminate CPU limitations, and it won't automatically turn a 30FPS game into a 60FPS game.
Could GTA 6 Run at 60FPS?
That's still the biggest question.
There is currently no official confirmation from Rockstar that GTA 6 will have a 60FPS mode on PS5 Pro.
It's possible that Rockstar could surprise players, but expecting 60FPS as a guarantee would be premature.
A stable 30FPS experience with improved graphics is much easier to imagine, while 40FPS could potentially be the middle ground between visual quality and responsiveness.
The Pro Version Could Still Be Worth It
Even without 60FPS, GTA 6 could become one of the best demonstrations of what the PS5 Pro can do.
Imagine playing the game with improved image quality, better lighting, enhanced reflections and more consistent visual performance while maintaining a stable frame rate.
For players who care more about graphics than maximum FPS, that could be an excellent experience.
Rockstar Could Still Surprise Everyone
The biggest problem right now is that Rockstar hasn't revealed all of the technical details.
Until the company explains its performance targets, nobody can say with certainty whether GTA 6 will run at 30FPS, 40FPS or 60FPS on PS5 Pro.
But that's what makes the discussion so interesting.
GTA 6 could end up being one of the most demanding games ever released for the PS5, and the PS5 Pro will give Rockstar more hardware headroom to work with.
Whether that extra power goes toward better graphics, a higher frame rate, or a combination of both remains to be seen.
Would you rather play GTA 6 at 40FPS with slightly reduced graphics, or 30FPS with the best possible visuals?