The GTA 6 Extended Look Has Fans All Saying The Same Thing

Rockstar may have made fans furious with its announcement that the Grand Theft Auto 6 "physical edition" would be a code in a box. But Netflix's "Grand Theft Auto: An Extended Look" special should go some way to distracting from that controversy. The almost half-hour presentation provided our first official look at "GTA 6" gameplay, and what glorious gameplay it is. So glorious, in fact, that fans simply can't believe the entire thing was captured on a base model PlayStation 5.

News broke ahead of the presentation's official release that it would consist almost entirely of PS5 gameplay, though it remained unclear whether that referred to a PS5 Pro or the base model. But it seems the entire thing was, indeed, footage from the standard PS5. Netflix confirmed as much in the closing titles of "An Extended Look" and in a Tudum article that claims the entire special was "captured entirely from in-game footage on PlayStation 5."

Following the special, one Redditor started a thread entitled "How is 'GTA' 6 actually looking like this on a base PS5?!" As one user replied, "Most developers aren't throwing 3000+ developers at a game," which is a fair point. Considering the game has also been in development for 13 years and Rockstar confirmed (via IGN) it had doubled its workforce in order to make it, it's not really all that surprising it looks as good as it does. Still, many are in disbelief that Rockstar developers have managed to wring as much out of the base model PS5 as they have.

Everybody was expecting "Grand Theft Auto 6" to be a major step up for the franchise, but it seems Rockstar has still managed to surprise fans with the game's graphics. While the "GTA 6" trailers were impressive, seeing the graphical fidelity hold up during gameplay has viewers stunned.

Following the debut of "GTA 6: An Extended Look," one X (formerly Twitter) user asks, "Is this actually running on a base PS5?" while another responds to a clip from the special by simply remarking, "On base ps5 ..... BASE PS5." Elsewhere another X user posted some screenshots and seemed to express disbelief that "my beloved base PS5 is gonna be running this." Others remain similarly incredulous. "THAT WAS CAPTURED ON A BASE PS5??" asks user NikTek, while dhaiwat commented, "How have Rockstar managed to pull this off on a base PS5? All games from Rockstar are truly engineering marvels. No one comes even close."

It's certainly impressive, given that the PS5 debuted six years ago. The updated Pro model arrived just two years ago, but it seems Rockstar didn't need it to showcase "GTA 6" and its incredible graphics. Clearly, the amount of effort the company put into maximizing the PS5's potential has paid off. Even more impressive, the "Extended Look" was reportedly captured at 4K and 30fps, which will no doubt come as a disappointment to many fans hoping for 60fps. But considering the hugely positive response to the graphics in general, the frame rate seems less important than it might have been.