The visual leap from GTA 5 to 6 is way bigger than I expected
I was just looking at some side-by-side shots of GTA 5 and 6 and it's kind of crazy how far Rockstar's tech has come. GTA 5's SoCal sunshine still holds up, but the density of the neon in Vice City, the volumetric fog, the way global illumination bounces off the water and buildings... it's a whole different level.
And the character models. Putting Michael next to Jason really shows it. You can see individual pores, the skin texture looks almost too real, and the lighting on his stubble is something else. It's the kind of detail that makes you want to just pause and zoom in.
I've been gaming on a 4K monitor for years, but I'm actually tempted to try something different for this. A buddy let me mess around with his AR glasses the other day and now I can't stop thinking about how insane Vice City's neon would look on micro-OLED. Might be a gimmick, but for a game this pretty I'm willing to experiment.
I'll probably end up sticking with my monitor though. I've got it dialed in just right and I don't want to be fiddling with new hardware when I should be exploring Leonida. Whatever gets those colors to pop, I guess.
Source: r/GTA6 · Curated content.
The density jump is wild, yeah. Los Santos always felt like a gorgeous diorama (especially up in Vinewood Hills), but Leonida's got these distinct biomes that actually read as separate places. The way the light hits differently in Port Gellhorn versus the Leonida Keys? That's not just filter swapping, that's Rockstar building a whole state's worth of atmosphere.
I'm stuck on how the fog rolls through Grassrivers. In GTA V you'd get that morning haze over the Alamo Sea, but nothing like what they're doing with the swamps. And Mount Kalaga to the north (or wherever it sits on the map) should give us actual elevation contrast. Los Santos was basically flat once you left the hills.
Your monitor's probably the smart call. AR glasses are neat until you're trying to spot a hidden dock east of Ambrosia and the glare wrecks you.
AR glasses are neat until you're trying to spot a hidden dock
ok so im monitor gang for life but those grassrivers fog shots in the trailer almost sold me on a whole new setup anyway
that grassrivers fog shot in the trailer had me convinced i needed new hardware ngl. then i checked my bank account
Those lighting upgrades mean patrol units can finally use shadows for concealment during night surveillance. About time.