Don’t Expect PS5 Pro to Run GTA 6 at 60fps, Tech Experts Say

The leaked PlayStation 5 Pro specs have been verified and added to by the tech experts at Digital Foundry, who also deliver their prediction on how the unannounced console will run GTA 6.

This week, the PS5 Pro specs leak, also verified by IGN, revealed the power of the console Sony reportedly plans to release during the fourth quarter of 2024.

The PS5 Pro CPU is said to be identical to the standard PS5’s CPU but with a 'High CPU Frequency Mode', which amounts to a 10% increase to 3.85GHz. The GPU enables faster rendering and higher quality ray tracing powered by 33.5 teraflops. The standard PS5 offers 10.28 teraflops. However, a direct PS5 to PS5 Pro comparison would work out at around 10.28 vs 16 to 17 teraflops.

The release of the PS5 Pro is thought to be particularly enticing in the context of the 2025 release of GTA 6, which is set to boost the video game market beyond developer Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two.

But according to Digital Foundry founder Rich Leadbetter, speaking in the latest episode of DF Direct, the PS5 Pro’s CPU means GTA 6 will probably run at 30fps, assuming GTA 6 runs at 30fps on the standard PS5. Given no GTA game has launched with a 60fps option, this one seems nailed on.

According to Leadbetter, if GTA 6 runs at 30fps on PS5, it'll run at 30fps on PS5 Pro barring some kind of programming miracle, because the CPU handles simulation, and the PS5 Pro’s CPU only increases performance by 10%. In the unlikely event GTA 6 has a 60fps mode on PS5, it’ll run at 60fps on PS5 Pro.

While the PS5 Pro’s CPU looks like a modest improvement, the PS5 Pro is much better than the PS5 at rendering, according to Digital Foundry. PS5 Pro, Digital Foundry predicts, is capable of upscaling 1080p older PS5 games to 4K via its upscaling/antialiasing solution PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling), if the developer chooses to support the tech with a patch.

Digital Foundry says PS5 Pro will retain the same 16GB of GDDR6 memory as the standard PS5, but has an extra 1.2GB of system RAM for developers.

Last month, analysts signaled that Sony is “likely” to release the PS5 Pro later in 2024. Sony has form when it comes to releasing a Pro version of its consoles. The PS4 Pro, for example, launched in November 2016, three years after the PS4 came out. A PS5 Pro launch this November would come four years after the PS5 launched in November 2020.

Sony has revised its PS5 sales forecast for the current financial year, down from its lofty target of 25 million consoles sold to 21 million. This comes despite a year-on-year increase in PS5 sales for the holiday 2023 quarter, from 7.1 million sold to 8.2 million.

Elsewhere, Sony has said it will not release any major existing PlayStation franchise games before April 2025, ruling out big sequels in the God of War and Spider-Man franchises any time soon.

Last month, Sony announced a devastating wave of layoffs affecting over 900 staff at its gaming business. Sony's London studio is to close.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].