Will GTA 6 Come to PS4 and Xbox One? [2024]

Will GTA 6 Come to PS4 and Xbox One? Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is one of the most popular and best-selling video game franchises of all time. Ever since the release of GTA 5 in 2013 and GTA Online shortly after, fans have been eagerly waiting for the next mainline entry in the series, GTA 6.

While developer Rockstar Games has remained tight-lipped about GTA 6, there have been plenty of rumors and speculation around the game. One common question that arises is – will GTA 6 come to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles when it eventually releases? Let’s take a detailed look.

Hardware Limitations of PS4 and Xbox One

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles first launched in 2013. At the time, they were quite powerful systems representing a big leap over the previous generation. However, console generations typically last for 6-7 years before next-gen consoles release with modern hardware.

The PS4 and Xbox One are now nearly a decade old. Their hardware simply cannot keep up with modern games.

Some of their key hardware limitations:

• Weak CPUs based on 2012-era Jaguar architecture, clocked at only 1.6GHz
• Only 8GB of RAM and relatively slow GDDR5 memory
• Limited GPU power – PS4 has 1.84 TFLOPS GPU, Xbox One has 1.3 TFLOPS
• Hard drive storage maxes out at 1TB on stock consoles
• Maximum resolution of 1080p and 30 fps for recent intensive games

Compare this to the PS5 and Xbox Series X launched in 2020 – they are exponentially more powerful with cutting-edge Zen 2 CPUs, 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, custom SSD storage, and GPUs capable of up to 12 TFLOPS and ray tracing support.

GTA 6 is surely going to push graphics and physics to the very limit. The dated last-gen hardware cannot handle such an intensive modern game.

Rockstar’s History and Philosophies

Rockstar has always focused on the technical achievements of each new GTA title to create detailed, immersive open worlds. They have pushed hardware to the limit with each release. For example:

• GTA 3 revolutionized open world games in 2001 on PS2 and original Xbox
• GTA 4 in 2008 set new standards of urban detail and physics, for PS3/Xbox 360
• GTA 5 in 2013 stunned with its visuals and dynamic world, not possible in previous gens

This shows Rockstar cares deeply about technology and innovations with each GTA game. It would go completely against their ethos to compromise on the technical front and release the next GTA for ageing last-gen consoles. In fact, they just re-released GTA 5 again enhancing it specifically for the PS5 and Xbox Series X hardware with visual and loading improvements.

It is evident next-gen power will be necessary to realize their true vision for the mammoth and ambitious GTA 6 whenever it comes out. Supporting the PS4 and Xbox One will only severely limit that vision right from the get-go.

Timing of GTA 6’s Eventual Release

Most industry analysts and insiders believe the next Grand Theft Auto game is still years away from release. Rockstar is known for taking their time to polish their games before launch, not rushing them out prematurely.

GTA 6 has been in early development for a few years, but full production likely did not kick off until after Red Dead Redemption 2 was finished in 2018. A 2024-2025 release timeline for GTA 6 seems realistic – by that time, the PS4 and Xbox One would be 12-13 years old.

It would make no sense to cater such an ambitious future game to consoles from over a decade ago – one meant to be the pinnacle of current games technology and set new benchmarks. The PS5 and Xbox Series X will be in their prime and have over 100+ million combined userbase. Focusing GTA 6 exclusively for these powerful current-gen systems allows leveraging their full potential.

Gameplay and Content Ambitions

According to reputable journalists and analysts like Jason Schreier and Tom Henderson, Rockstar has huge ambitions planned for Grand Theft Auto 6 to build their most immersive and dynamic open world yet, combined with innovative gameplay.

Some rumored examples indicating why outdated hardware would bottleneck their vision:

• Largest and most detailed open world spanning multiple cities with seamless interiors
• Dynamic weather and events that transform areas (floods, riots, traffic jams etc)
• Emphasis on character choices and different story branches
• Overhaul of combat, driving, and action gameplay mechanics
• Improved NPC and vehicle AI for complex emergent behavior
• Ray tracing for true-to-life lighting, shadows and reflections

Implementing such complex interconnecting systems and AI routines simply isn’t possible on the jagged CPU and minimal RAM of PS4/Xbox One. Their storage space also cannot handle the assets of such a giant world. Only current-gen power provides the headroom and speed needed to drive Rockstar’s ambitious roadmap.

Comparison to Past Generational Transitions

Looking back, previous main Grand Theft Auto entries have always cleanly broken from the past console generation:

• GTA 3 and Vice City released exclusively for PS2 after the PS1 era.
• GTA 4 was only on PS3/Xbox 360 and marked the end of PS2/OG Xbox generation.
• GTA 5 ushered in PS4/Xbox One gen after a lengthy PS3/Xbox 360 cycle.

Rockstar seldom considers backwards compatibility or cross-gen releases while pushing current hardware to the bleeding edge. It has always been about showcasing technical leaps on more capable consoles of the time. They recognize most gamers also upgrade to latest platforms.

Following tradition, GTA 6 will surely focus purely on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC without PS4/Xbox One versions holding it back – those consoles have already peaked in capabilities years ago. Optimization exclusively for modern hardware allows manifesting the developers’ true creative vision and technical ambitions in full.

ALSO READ: How to Use the TEMU Gift Card

Game Install Sizes Could be an Issue

Already existing current-gen games like Call of Duty or Microsoft Flight Simulator take up over 150GB or more storage space when installed. Now considering Rockstar’s content-rich worlds and emphasis on small details, assets for GTA 6 could balloon up to insane 200GB levels or more.

The maximum hard drive capacity on base PS4 and Xbox One models is just 500GB or 1TB (which also houses the operating system). After GTA 5 and a handful of other games, they would simply run out of space for such data-heavy next-gen titles. Requiring players to constantly manage space or upgrade storage will impair the experience.

PS5 and Xbox Series X on the other hand feature ultra-fast built-in solid state storage and support expanding with NVMe SSD storage. This provides sufficient flexibility to install such storage-intensive AAA games like GTA 6 while minimizing management hassles – another factor negating past-gen release.

In Conclusion…

Taking Rockstar’s technical philosophies with past games into account, it seems highly unlikely Grand Theft Auto 6 will come to PlayStation 4 or Xbox One platforms given their severe hardware limitations as decade-old systems. When GTA 6 eventually releases (potentially in 2024-2025), it makes technological and business sense for Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive to focus efforts exclusively on current-gen consoles and PC.

Those platforms will represent the cutting-edge gaming technology of that time, while past-gen would be longest in the tooth. Developing a current-gen only GTA 6 allows properly actualizing Rockstar’s ambitious creative vision without technical bottlenecks or past-gen anchor weighing them down. It lets them implement innovations like seamless world streaming, complex emergent gameplay, real-time ray tracing etc only possible on modern platforms.

After dominating the seventh console cycle, Grand Theft Auto 6 seems primed to fully embrace the eighth. This signals the end of support for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms as they fade into retirement. When the time comes, GTA fans will need to upgrade to continue their automotive crime sprees into the next generation.

FAQs