Rockstar Games has finally given a definitive release date for GTA 6, and the popular franchise’s upcoming game will be released on November 19, 2026. Something that surprised some fans was that Rockstar only announced the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. This raised questions among fans about whether Rockstar will release the game for the PS4 at a later date. However, Sony later announced that GTA 6 won’t be released on PS4, and here’s why we think the older-generation console was excluded.
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The PS4’s hardware is outdated compared to the PS5
This could be a major reason behind PS4 getting excluded from the list of supported consoles on which GTA 6 will launch. The PS4 has an 8-core AMD Jaguar CPU, a 1.84 TFLOPS GPU, and 8GB GDDR5 RAM. PS5, on the other hand, has an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU, a 10.3 TFLOPS GPU, and 16GB GDDR6 RAM.
These specs highlight that the PS5 has a superior CPU, which should have enough power to simulate GTA 6’s massive open world. Despite this, reports indicate that the game may only run at 30 FPS, which indicates that even the PS5’s more powerful hardware is lacking. PS4 has a relatively weaker CPU, which would likely struggle to process GTA 6’s detailed world.
The older-generation console’s RAM is also half of the PS5’s, which would affect how the game’s assets and other data are loaded. A point worth noting is that the PS4 Pro has a stronger 4.20 TFLOPS GPU, but it still uses an older Jaguar CPU and has 8GB RAM. This makes the PS4 Pro’s hardware weaker than the PS5.
GTA 6’s in-game world requires more powerful hardware
This reason aligns with the PS4 having weaker hardware, but Rockstar has explicitly stated several things about GTA 6 that highlight why the game may not be suitable for an older-generation console. GTA 6 will have a wide variety of wildlife and more reactive NPCs. Together, these factors explain how massive the game’s world will be.
While Rockstar and Sony haven’t explicitly stated that the PS4 is being excluded because GTA 6 requires a more powerful console, it seems to be a reasonable inference. The PS4 can still run many open-world games without struggling, but GTA 6 has expanded substantially on previous titles in the franchise, which could explain why it may not perform as well on Sony’s older-generation console.
The PS4’s hard drive could limit GTA 6
Sony has revealed that GTA 6 takes advantage of the PS5’s ultra-high-speed SSD to provide near-instant loading times while players explore the open world. For comparison, the PS4 uses a 500GB or 1TB 5400 RPM SATA II hard drive. The PS5 uses an 825GB SSD with 5.5GB/s raw read bandwidth.
It’s a fact that SSDs are substantially faster compared to normal hard drives. Faster storage means that a game’s new areas and assets can be loaded faster without interruptions. This is also likely why Sony has talked about the PS5’s SSD being a major benefit for GTA 6’s massive open world. While players could update their PS4’s storage and change out the hard drive with an SSD, the console’s other hardware will likely still not be up to the mark. There’s also the matter of the PS5’s SSD having a custom I/O system that is designed to load assets quickly.
Rockstar appears to be focusing on current-generation consoles
GTA 6 is one of the most hyped games of all time, and Rockstar Games has a lot of expectations behind the upcoming title. This could explain why the developer would be biased against older-generation consoles, as it may not want to risk anything going wrong with the game’s experience. As the previous reasons explain, the PS4’s hardware could affect how well it could run GTA 6 if the game were released on the console.
Rockstar likely doesn’t want to take any chances, which may be why the developer has only announced the game for modern consoles. The PS5 will likely be able to run GTA 6 smoothly and offer players a good experience. This may be why Rockstar is releasing the game on modern consoles that won’t struggle to run GTA 6.
GTA 6 will use several PS5-specific features
Sony has revealed that GTA 6 will use several features that are exclusive to the PS5, with some not being available on the PS4. This highlights that Rockstar has worked with Sony to incorporate PS5 features to make GTA 6’s gameplay experience better. These features include DualSense haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, Tempest 3D AudioTech, and the ultra-high-speed SSD.
The SSD has already been explained, as it can decrease loading times substantially while players explore Leonida. The controller feedback is vibration that players will be able to feel due to elements in the game. This is more advanced compared to the PS4’s older DualShock 4 controller. Sony and Rockstar ensured that GTA 6 can take advantage of all the features the PS5 can offer.
