For several days, a simple screenshot has been debated in the community GTA : a picture of GTA 6 showing Lucia in her bathroom, compared to an equivalent scene from GTA 5. Even on a smartphone, the difference is obvious: ultra-detailed textures, credible light, hyper-realistic everyday objects. Enough to relaunch the debates on the graphic leap of the series.
Recirculated via Reddit then included in several comparative videos on YouTube, this face to face GTA 5 vs GTA 6 perfectly illustrates the technical gap which widened between 2013 and 2026. While Grand Theft Auto 5 was born on PS3 and Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto 6 was designed from the start for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with a big focus on graphics.
GTA 6 vs GTA 5: the graphic comparison that hurts
In the starting point capture, a simple bath towel is enough to humiliate old Los Santos. On GTA 6the towel placed next to Lucia displays a precise mesh, distinct fibers, clean folds which catch the light. In GTA 5the equivalent looks like a flat texture, almost painted on the scenery, with rough shadows and no credible relief.
The rest of the image drives the point home. The smartphone next to Lucia features sharp metal edges, consistent sun reflections, and glass that really reacts to light, when the phone from GTA 5 looks angular and dated. Even the tiles, joints and reflections on the floor benefit from much more natural lighting, at the level of the best current open worlds.
It is difficult to know which exact version of GTA 5 serves as the basis for this comparison, the game having undergone several console and PC remasters. But even imagining the best possible configuration, the advantage of GTA 6 remains obvious.
© reddit @witty_Librarian5672
GTA 5 vs GTA 6: what changes for players?
This gap is seen on several axes. On the character side, Lucia and Jason benefit from more detailed skins, locks of hair and significantly finer facial animations than the often rigid models of GTA 5. On the city side, Vice City seems livelier, with more pedestrians, vehicles and graffiti. Above all, GTA 6 seems to rely on ray tracing and Ray Traced Global Illumination, which bounce light throughout the scene and transform reflections, neon lights and nocturnal atmosphere.
GTA 6: release date and what expectations for performance?
Announced in 2023, GTA 6 is now scheduled for November 19, 2026 on PS5 et Xbox Series X/S. Take-Two Interactive promises a big marketing campaign from this summer, while we have only seen two trailers and a few screenshots, without real gameplay or clear indications on the frame rate.
