Rockstar confirms 30fps target on both PS5 and PS5 Pro, with ray traced shadows and better clarity on the Pro

Rockstar dropped a new post on the Newswire ahead of pre-load, and it finally answers the question everyone's been arguing about in the replies for months: base PS5 and PS5 Pro are both targeting 30 frames per second. Not 60 on the Pro. Thirty.

Before anyone starts typing, yeah, I get it. A $700 console and we're still at 30. But if you've watched the trailers and looked at what's actually happening on screen, this was never going to be a 60fps game on launch hardware. Vice City is dense. The lighting alone looks like it costs a fortune in GPU time.

what the Pro actually gets you

Per the post, the PS5 Pro version brings improved clarity and ray traced shadows. That's the trade. You're not getting a higher frame rate, you're getting a cleaner image and nicer shadow work. Fits the pattern we've seen from other big releases this gen, where Pro owners get resolution and effects upgrades while the frame target stays put.

Ray traced shadows are a solid get, honestly. Shadows in a game with this much sun and this much neon are half the look. If they land right, the difference between versions could be pretty obvious side by side.

the bit I'm still chewing on

• 30fps on base PS5 was expected, no shock there
• 30fps on Pro is the part people are going to be loud about
• no mention of a performance mode, so I'm not holding my breath
• nothing about Xbox in the article beyond the headline saying both consoles target 30

I'll be honest, I'd rather have a locked, stable 30 than a wobbly 60 that drops every time the camera swings past a crowd. Rockstar's track record on that front is decent. What I don't want is a frame time graph that looks like a heart monitor during a police chase.

Also worth remembering we're two weeks out from November 19. Pre-load's already rolling in some regions, the marketing machine is in full swing, and this is the kind of detail that usually surfaces right at the end. Nothing here changes my plans. I'm playing on whatever I've got and I'm going to sit through the first hour with my jaw on the floor either way.

Pro owners grumbling about the frame target have a fair point, but the clarity bump and RT shadows are a real difference, not a marketing bullet point. I'll take it.

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Source: Push Square · Curated content.