A PlayStation Blog post co-authored by PlayStation and Rockstar Games said GTA 6 leverages the PS5’s SSD to allow people to experience’s the game’s fictional version of Miami and wider Florida with “near-instant load times.”
That sounds good and exciting, but it’s also bumming people out. The original version of GTA 5 that came out in 2013 for PS3 and Xbox 360 was known for its lengthy load times when booting the game up that could be minutes long.
Nice artwork from GTA 5 would cycle through as the game loaded, and in cases where the loading took longer than expected, people might see character or environment art they hadn’t before.
For the 2022 launch of GTA 5’s PS5 and Xbox Series X|S edition, load times were improved. The loading screens have always been a distinct element of the GTA series.
People online are saying they will miss this if GTA 6 does indeed have “near-instant” load times. That being said, this is all based off one line in a blog post, so it’s unclear what “near-instant” even means or if it even pertains to the main loading page when the game boots up each time or something else.
A lot of the GTA 6 artwork hosted on the game’s website bears a resemblance stylistically to the art from GTA 5’s loading screens, so you can at least look at it there or download for yourself. But, again, that’s not the same as sitting on your couch or in your chair looking at the artwork as the game loads.
The PlayStation Blog post is titled “GTA 6 plays best on PS5,” a claim that has not been independently verified and comes as part of Sony’s marketing arrangement with Rockstar, which is seeking to associate the game with PlayStation first and foremost.
The game is also coming to Xbox Series X, which has similar technical capabilities to the PS5, along with the relatively less powerful Xbox Series S. GTA 6 will also play on the PS5 Pro, but Rockstar has yet to confirm any specific enhancements.
GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. GTA 6 preorders are finally, at long last, open on both consoles, and you can choose the $80 standard edition or $100 ultimate edition.
