- Modern game graphics have seemingly plateaued, but GTA 6 shows exactly how capable the latest consoles are.
- GTA 6’s exceptional lighting, models, and animation make for a nearly photorealistic experience.
- The game has set a new bar, which may even encourage other teams to push console hardware to its limits.
The GTA 6 extended look aired around 24 hours ago, and it proved exactly why Rockstar Games is held to such high standards.
In addition to the team’s unbeatable storytelling, voice acting, music direction, and more, GTA 6 confirms that practically nobody can match Rockstar Games when it comes to visuals, especially now more than ever.
Why it matters: Fans were used to seeing huge leaps in visuals across each generation, but this simply didn’t happen with the latest generation, at least until recently.
The Visual Leap Between The Last and Current-Gen, or Lack Thereof
To understand why GTA 6’s visuals, from what we’ve seen so far, are so impressive, it’s important to reflect on the console generation thus far. Between the last two generations, games have certainly taken a step forward in terms of visuals.
The introduction of technologies like ray-tracing, AI-based upscaling, and more is clear evidence of this fact. Titles like Alan Wake 2 and Hellblade 2 stand out as examples that put these technologies to good use.
However, it’s also easy to see that current and last-generation games look largely similar. Consider how well titles like Batman Arkham Knight and The Last of Us Part 2 have aged, and it becomes clear that games have come close to hitting a visual plateau.
Even Rockstar Games’ own Red Dead Redemption 2 excels in this department, putting many modern games to shame despite its age. There is also the element of performance, with various Unreal Engine 5 titles struggling to live up to expectations while also performing poorly on PS5 and Xbox Series S|X.
Enter GTA 6, and all of that goes out the window, showing the visual leap that many had been craving for six years.
GTA 6 Sets A New Bar For Visuals
Watching Rockstar Games’ Netflix presentation, it was hard not to have my jaw constantly on the floor from GTA 6’s strong presentation.
Between how NPCs behave and how characters converse with each other, it’s clear that each element of GTA 6 is polished to perfection. However, in my opinion, Rockstar Games’ lighting system is the real star of the show.
The team’s global illumination implementation is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and mixing in ray-tracing elements like reflections and shadows makes for a one-of-a-kind experience.
These elements work best in the game’s open-world sections, where light bounces off of different objects to mimic the real world, and objects cast shadows that would have you forget you’re playing a game.
Other parts of the game, such as the character rendering, are also vastly improved over past Rockstar Games efforts. This means that the most focal characters in GTA 6 offer nearly photorealistic quality.
Rockstar Games’ attention to detail serves as the icing on the cake. As characters move, their hair is rendered and moves with impeccable precision, t-shirts show wrinkles that are impacted by character motion, and even environmental destruction is extremely impressive.
Credit also goes to Rockstar Games’ art direction here. Plenty of studios have made use of ray-tracing, and even extremely talented studios like id Software have previously left gamers unimpressed with their latest visual output. Rockstar Games, however, has managed to live up to the promise of next-generation visuals.
The PS5 And Xbox Series X Have More To Give
Many have already written off the PS5 and Xbox Series X as being extensions of the last generation, simply because most recent games have been unable to set themselves apart from prior titles.
I feel like GTA 6 completely shifts this narrative. The fact that the recent GTA 6 footage ran on the base PS5 no less means that most teams are simply not using these consoles to their full potential.
Here’s hoping that GTA 6 will encourage more teams to push themselves and deliver presentation that makes the most of the Xbox Series X and PS5 hardware.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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