Experts Explain How Ray Tracing Impacts GTA VI Visual Quality

Digital Foundry considers image quality to be the primary issue in GTA VI. The game on PS5 may run at 1440p without an upscale to 4K, while ray tracing and other effects further degrade visual clarity.

Digital Foundry experts analyzed complaints about the blurry image in GTA VI. According to their assessment, Rockstar may use a fixed 1440p resolution on the PS5 without scaling up to 4K. Additionally, strong motion blur and a shallow depth of field effect further blur the image.

We saw in previous demonstrations that the game runs at approximately 1440p. (…) I calculated this many times, and it consistently came out to 1440p. Therefore, it looks like this is a fixed resolution rather than a dynamic one. But unlike many games running at 1440p, this game does not appear to use 4K upscaling. Consequently, the image never becomes a sharp 4K, at least in my view. It is always slightly soft.

The experts also noted ray tracing noise. In their opinion, ray tracing may be one of the reasons for the visual compromises and the 30 frames per second limitation.

Image source: DF Clips YouTube channel

At the same time, GTA VI remains one of the most technologically advanced games thanks to its level of detail, draw distance, city density, and character animations.

Related articles