The Differences In The Next-Gen GTA 5 Remaster Graphic Settings Explained

"Grand Theft Auto 5" has managed to make its way into yet another generation of gaming. Years after its 2013 release for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Rockstar Games' seminal open-world game will soon be receiving yet another huge update so it can conform to an additional two generations' worth of gaming standards. And already, the next-gen version of "Grand Theft Auto 5" has attracted some controversy. For one, it's a game that's almost 9 years old — and at this point, many fans just want "GTA 6." Another reason is its confusing price point, which will be $9.99 on the PlayStation 5 and $19.99 on the Xbox Series X|S upon release on March 15 — before both go up to $40 starting in June.

But what benefits does this "expanded and enhanced" version of "GTA 5" actually offer in order to incentivize players to purchase it once again? And what settings will the game employ to ensure that it looks better than it has in previous generations? Here's a complete breakdown of all the graphical settings that will be available to you in the next-gen edition of "Grand Theft Auto 5".

One of the biggest allures of next-gen gaming, be it on the newest batch of consoles or on higher-end graphics cards, is native 4K gaming with ray tracing. According to Rockstar, next-gen version of "Grand Theft Auto 5" will have both of these settings available simultaneously with its Fidelity Mode, which will run the game at 4K resolution with ray tracing and "targets 30 FPS" on both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles (via Polygon). The Xbox Series S, the weakest of the newest console generation, will support an upscaled version of 4K from the native 1080p resolution of the version available on the Xbox One.

For many who value visual fidelity and looks over everything when it comes to modern gaming, this will be your go-to mode and likely will be the cause of you forking out the money for this edition of "GTA 5". However, as usual with next-gen gaming thus far, these visual improvements will come at the cost of higher performance, a smoother frame rate, and more responsiveness. Should you choose to enable Fidelity Mode and go for style over performance, your game will be locked at 30 FPS on console.

Let's assume squeezing every last bit of visual quality from "Grand Theft Auto 5" isn't exactly your cup of tea, and your only wish is for the game to perform better than it has in previous console generations. If this descriptions fits you, then your first choice should be the game's Performance Mode. When using this mode, gamers won't have access to the lifelike shadows, lighting effects, and reflections that the ray tracing in Fidelity Mode offers, but it makes up for those things with a solid 60 FPS and more responsive gameplay. Resolution0wise, Performance Mode upscales "Grand Theft Auto 5" to 4K on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S version will peak at its native 1080p resolution in this mode and not have 4K resolution available (per Rockstar).

Performance Mode will likely be the default mode in the next-gen version of "Grand Theft Auto 5" and can be expected to be the preferred mode for any who wish to maximize their gameplay. However, whether or not this mode is worth players paying extra to get the next-gen version of the game is sure to be up for debate.

Arguably the most exciting graphical mode that the next-gen version of "Grand Theft Auto 5" has to offer is Performance RT Mode. The purpose of this mode is to essentially blend the best parts of the game's other graphical settings and combine them for one big concoction that is only available for the next generation when it comes to console gaming. When playing on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, enabling Performance RT mode will upscale the resolution to 4K, enable ray tracing, and aim for a frame rate of 60 FPS (via Rockstar). This option is not available to users on the Xbox Series S.

On paper, this mode seems like the best option. Not only are you getting ray tracing, but you're also getting a higher frame rate to make it all even smoother. Even with the slight drop in resolution from Fidelity Mode, very few will likely be able to tell a difference lest they be on higher-end TV's or monitors. However, a cause for concern could be that the language in Rockstar's announcement says that Performance RT mode will be "targeting" 60 FPS — which doesn't necessarily mean it will actually meet 60 FPS at all times. Still, this mode makes for an intriguing concept — especially for all of the gamers who have been playing the current version of "GTA" for years.