Live · 10/18/2026 08:18

GTA 6 PS5: Digital Foundry doesn't see QSSR upscaling in the launch trailer

Digital Foundry says the GTA 6 launch trailer shows no sign of QSSR, Sony's new upscaler for the base PS5, as the cost looks too high at 1440p.

Sources pushsquare.com · mashable.com

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Sony's new QSSR upscaler for the standard PS5 does not appear in the GTA 6 launch trailer, according to Rich Leadbetter of Digital Foundry, as reported by Push Square. The footage was captured on PS5, as a disclaimer in the video states.

GTA 6 PS5: Digital Foundry doesn't see QSSR upscaling in the launch trailer
Image: notebookcheck.pl

What is QSSR, and where does it stand?

Per Push Square, Sony unveiled QSSR earlier this month: a version of the PS5 Pro's PSSR for the base console. For now it ships only in two first-party games, Marvel's Wolverine and Ghost of Yotei, but third-party studios will get access. Many players assumed the timing was no accident, given Rockstar's marketing line that GTA 6 "plays best on PS5".

Why Digital Foundry is sceptical

In a 20-minute video, Leadbetter says: "I don't think we're seeing it here." His case rests on numbers. If the game renders internally at 1440p and upscales to 4K, he puts the cost at around 4 ms, based on Wolverine's Quality mode. Against a 33 ms frame budget, that is well over 10% of rendering time, which he calls "quite extravagant".

Read also GTA 6: PlayStation is everywhere in the launch trailer, Xbox is nowhere

He also asks what QSSR would add if the internal resolution is already high and "good enough". Digital Foundry criticised image quality in the Extended Look, so the doubt concerns usefulness as much as presence.

What it means for the PS5 Pro version

The PS5 Pro is already billed as an enhanced version: we covered the "PS5 Pro Enhanced" badge on the PlayStation Store, with no word on resolution or frame rate. Mashable adds that Rockstar has published no technical specs and that the trailer came from a base console. A wet-street screenshot with heavy reflections, discussed by Digital Foundry's Oliver Mackenzie, may come from another setup, possibly an internal PC build.

My own reading: an absence of evidence, nothing more. Trailers are cut months ahead from older captures, and Rockstar could still enable an upscaler late in development. Push Square says as much: things may change before November 19. The game is also not yet gold.

Why it matters

Nothing concrete yet: neither Sony nor Rockstar has confirmed QSSR in GTA 6, and no graphics mode has been detailed. The unknowns outweigh the facts: resolution, 30 or 60 fps, ray tracing on the base console. Answers will come with reviews and the November 19 launch. Still no PC version announced.

Sources pushsquare.com · mashable.com

By Daniel Jasner · GTAVIFRANCE newsroom

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