GTA 6, 30 fps and principles
This November 2026, GTA 6 will be released, the most anticipated title of this generation. Despite this, there are several aspects I don't agree with: some technical, some economic, but all of them philosophical.
30 FPS
From the spoilers published by leakers and by Rockstar itself, it can be inferred with very high probability that the game will run at 30 FPS on PS5, while on PS5 Pro not even 60 FPS are guaranteed. Honestly, I find it unacceptable to pay 80 euros for a game and not even be able to enjoy it. In my opinion there is no graphical quality that can make up for a deficit as big as playing at around 30 frames per second; but even 60, in 2026, would be scandalous.
Let me preface this by saying I was raised with a different conception of what a video game is compared to the title in question: I have always played titles that favoured fluidity and efficiency between peripherals and hardware over texture quality. Either way, still in my opinion, settling for 30 FPS looks more like passive acceptance than a consciously made choice.
To give an idea to the less accustomed, let's talk about this difference, namely:
If playing at 60 FPS gives me a headache, playing at 30 FPS would become torture; this is more common for those who have always played at a decent refresh rate. For those who have always bought consoles, instead, the difference may feel smaller. That is exactly the problem: there is a huge share of the audience that doesn't even consider the issue because they don't know it exists. I have let many people coming from consoles feel what it's like to play at 240 FPS and they were astonished. This obviously happens because their eye isn't used to such a high refresh rate; after trying that kind of frequency it becomes hard to go back, the thing is, nobody tries.
This, then, gives companies like Rockstar the ability to sell titles and have them played at such poor quality. In Italy this phenomenon is very widespread. The average Italian has a conception of video games similar to this:
Well, something like that makes my skin crawl. I respect those who manage to spend their time this way, having fun; but I just can't. If you say "video game" to me, I picture something like this:
IN ITALY
Unfortunately, in Italy this is science fiction, and the reasons for this phenomenon are, in my opinion, closely tied to this country's mentality. I remember my classmates mocking the band I wear on my arm, the way I held the keyboard and how close the monitor was to my face. Explaining the reasons behind these gestures to such people isn't easy, even though I never gave up.
I believe the experience in this last photo is far more valuable than the one in the previous photo. I'm talking about the thrill of competition, even if not lived at the highest level, about the art behind the engineering aimed at making the hardware and the player themselves more efficient, about the consistency and determination in reaching certain goals. These are all feelings a "turn on and play" gamer will never get to experience.
This reasoning is not meant to criticize consoles and couches, because those are choices; it is instead aimed at criticizing a multinational that, just to guarantee high graphical quality and a more realistic environment, forces its audience to play at that frame rate.
There have been leaks claiming that on console it will be possible to play with two main settings, namely performance mode and quality mode. These statements were greeted with a certain amount of joy, as if we should be grateful for this option. Being able to customize the overall quality of the title through only two presets is truly a choice that leaves us players minimal freedom.
Early release on consoles
In November it comes out for consoles, while for PC a date hasn't even been announced. This is highly discriminatory behaviour: they are favouring one part of the players while leaving the other high and dry. We're not talking here about some niche piece of software that doesn't get built for the OpenBSD kernel; the share of PC gamers in the world is around 26%.
The reasons behind this choice are described as "security", as if you couldn't do anti-cheat validation or exploitation testing. Or they hide behind the ridiculous economic reasons aiming at the famous double dipping, that is, getting the most enthusiastic users to buy the game twice: first for console (the only available platform) and then for PC, the theoretical main platform for this kind of player.
It's absurd that a PC-compatible version wasn't developed at the same time. Beyond the time spent developing the title, not being an expert, I can't judge that aspect, the criticism refers to the fact that this company is a multinational with billions in assets. Despite this, it wasn't able to put together a team to replicate the game for PC, or at least to do it in time for a simultaneous release of both versions.
In conclusion
I rule out the possibility of buying GTA 6. Whereas before the reason was tied to the nature of the game itself, now the reason is strictly a matter of principle.