PS5 or PS5 Pro for GTA VI? The answer is simpler than you think

If you are thinking about buying a PS5 Pro specifically for GTA VI, the short answer is no. Not because the Pro is a bad machine — it is not — but because the reasons people give themselves for the purchase do not survive contact with this particular game. Here is the argument, with numbers.

The hardware, as confirmed by Sony: the PS5 has 36 compute units at 2.23 GHz, 10.28 TFLOPS and 16 GB of GDDR6 at 448 GB/s. The PS5 Pro has 60 compute units, 16.7 TFLOPS, the same 16 GB of GDDR6 but at 576 GB/s, plus 2 GB of DDR5 for the system, a 2 TB SSD, two to three times the ray tracing throughput and PSSR machine-learning upscaling. Sony promises "up to 45% faster rendering."

But notice what is NOT on that list: the CPU. Both machines use the same eight-core Zen 2 processor. The Pro is faster on the graphics side and nowhere else.

Why does that matter for GTA VI specifically? Because GTA VI is not primarily a graphics showcase — it is a simulation. Traffic, crowds, NPC behaviour, physics and world simulation all run on the CPU. Digital Foundry argued in June 2026 that GTA VI will likely run at 30 frames per second even on the PS5 Pro for exactly this reason, and floated a 40 fps mode as a realistic compromise. That is analysis, not confirmation — but it is grounded in the hardware itself.

What is actually confirmed about GTA VI on PS5 Pro? Precisely one thing: the game carries a "PS5 Pro Enhanced" badge on the PlayStation Store, spotted when pre-orders opened on 24 June 2026. Sony has also said the game "plays best on PS5." That is all. No resolution, no frame rate, no description of what PSSR does in this game, no breakdown of quality and performance modes. Rockstar has not published a single technical figure.

The 60 fps rumour: in July 2025 the leaker DetectiveSeeds claimed 60 fps would be exclusive to the PS5 Pro. One source, no corroboration, and Digital Foundry's analysis points the other way. File it as rumour.

Now the price, which is where this gets clear. Sony raised prices on 2 April 2026: the PS5 Digital now costs 599.99 dollars, the PS5 with a drive 649.99, and the PS5 Pro 899.99. The Pro launched at 699.99 in November 2024 — it is 200 dollars more expensive than it was at release. In Iceland, ELKO lists the PS5 Slim with drive at 104,995 ISK, the PS5 Digital at 94,995 ISK and the PS5 Pro at 149,995 ISK, though the Pro was sold out at the time of writing.

The gap is around 45,000 krónur. What does that buy? Better graphics in a game that is probably CPU-bound anyway, and 2 TB of storage instead of 825 GB or 1 TB.

The better route: buy a standard PS5 and add an SSD. A 2 TB WD Black SN850X costs around 124 dollars and meets Sony's requirements (PCIe 4.0 ×4, at least 5,500 MB/s, with a heatsink). A 649.99 dollar PS5 plus a 124 dollar drive gives you more storage than a PS5 Pro — for 127 dollars less. That is not a close call.

What about the disc drive? For GTA VI it is irrelevant. The game ships on no disc in any edition; the box contains a download code. The PS5 Pro is digital-only and the detachable drive costs 79 dollars extra, but for this game that is not an argument either way.

The verdict. Buy a PS5 Pro if you play a lot of graphically demanding games with ray tracing and want the best image quality available on PlayStation today. Do not buy one for GTA VI. Nobody outside Rockstar yet knows whether the Pro hits 60 fps in this game, and the hardware argument suggests it does not. If you already own a PS5: keep it, buy an SSD, and put the difference towards the game itself.

Sources: PlayStation Blog (PS5 Pro reveal and the price change of 27 March 2026), VGC, TweakTown, Digital Foundry, Push Square, Insider Gaming, Tom's Hardware and elko.is.