Rockstar Games recently published many new screenshots of Grand Theft Auto VI, and also revealed pre-order details. Digital Foundry decided to examine the promotional materials and share their opinion.
The experts concluded that the shown footage confirms the presence of ray-traced reflections in GTA VI:
In almost every instance, ray-traced reflections are brought to the forefront as a point of particular pride for the studio. Be it the polished steel of Jason's pistol, the wet asphalt under cars, or the lacquered leather of the seats.
However, Digital Foundry noted that, judging by previous promotional materials, GTA VI will also use SSR (screen space reflections). It is assumed that this will be a “fallback option” to complement scenes where “ray tracing is not enough.”
Digital Foundry praised the high detail of the presented GTA VI screenshots. Experts doubt that this is a real-time render on PS5, Xbox Series X, or PS5 Pro consoles:
The combination of a crystal-clear image, hinting at native 4K (or higher), and in some places not entirely consistent character lighting in the foreground raises doubts about the realism of such a result in real-time.
They suggest that Rockstar might have used a development tool/environment to create the frames, where a frame can be built, character positions set, lighting adjusted, and all with “settings cranked to the maximum.”
Ultimately, Digital Foundry concludes, only time will tell how close the actual picture on PS5, PS5 Pro, and Series X will be to these screenshots.
Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to be released in November of this year. A standard edition will be available, as well as an expanded premium edition — with cosmetic bonuses, access to exclusive stores, and more.