Live · 10/17/2026 05:27

GTA 6 launch trailer: Rockstar's animation stutter appears to be gone

The animation flaw seen in Rockstar games since GTA IV is missing from the GTA 6 launch trailer, GamesRadar reports via Digital Foundry. Nothing proves it is fixed in the game yet.

Sources gamesradar.com

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The animation stutter that has followed Rockstar's games since GTA IV does not show up in the GTA 6 launch trailer. That is the finding GamesRadar reports, building on an analysis by Digital Foundry.

GTA 6 launch trailer: Rockstar's animation stutter appears to be gone
Image: libertycity.net

What is the flaw?

According to GamesRadar, most of the studio's titles, from GTA IV and GTA V to the Red Dead Redemption games, carry a subtle but persistent issue: character and camera movement is sometimes unevenly paced. It gives a stop-motion feel, as if the game were dropping frames, while the cause appears tied to the RAGE engine itself, the site writes. Many players never noticed it; those who did cannot unsee it.

What does the launch trailer show?

Again per GamesRadar, Digital Foundry had spotted the problem in every GTA 6 trailer so far, including the extended gameplay look. Only the launch trailer is clean, even though it strings together long pans, where the effect is easiest to see. The site considers it unlikely that Rockstar simply picked its shots, since the studio made no effort to hide the issue in earlier previews.

Read also GTA 6 launch trailer downgrade claims: lighting explains part of it

It adds to the debate over how the game looks. We already covered how the launch trailer is accused of a downgrade, a row about lighting rather than smoothness. The two topics are separate: a more restrained light says nothing about animation pacing.

Is this a permanent fix?

Not yet. Rockstar has said nothing, and a single video does not prove the state of the final build. GamesRadar points out that the developers keep tweaking until the last minute, as Phil Hooker said in his interview about a game that is never fully locked. The trailer may also show carefully chosen scenes. What we know: the flaw is absent from this video. What we do not know: whether it is gone from the game.

Why it matters

For players, nothing tangible before November 19, the date of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S release. But if animation holds its rhythm in play, it would be a notable change for the in-house engine. The real test will come controller in hand, not from a 90-second video.

Sources gamesradar.com

By Daniel Jasner · GTAVIFRANCE newsroom

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