Summary
- GTA Online performance on old consoles can be a headache, struggling with low framerates and loading issues.
- The game's optimization has always been inconsistent, as seen in a recent video showcasing abysmal performance.
- Despite the struggles, a large portion of players still use old-gen systems, but the launch of GTA 6 may push them to upgrade.
Grand Theft Auto Online can be a borderline unplayable experience on previous-generation consoles, as shown in a recent video by a player. Even though Grand Theft Auto Online launched in 2013 during the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 generation, its performance can take a severe hit in certain situations, even on the comparatively more powerful PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.
The immense scope of Grand Theft Auto 5 (for its time) made it a fairly CPU-intensive game for systems when it first launched. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions could barely reach their 30fps targets in story mode, and framerates dipped even further when players jumped into GTA Online. The PS4 and Xbox One allowed developer Rockstar Games to launch an upgraded version of GTA 5 that cleaned up the performance significantly, but the AMD Jaguar CPUs couldn't quite push it to 60fps. Thankfully, the "expanded and enhanced" version of GTA 5 for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles finally had enough headroom for a 60fps target.
However, there's no questioning that GTA Online's optimization has always been slightly hit-or-miss, partly proven by the programmer who singlehandedly lowered the game's loading times by up to 70%. Reddit user RideAffectionate518 recently shared another example of GTA Online's iffy optimization with a gameplay video of the multiplayer title running on a previous-gen console with a fully populated lobby and bad Wi-Fi. The video is intended to exhibit a maximum stress scenario for the hardware, with the player driving through the streets of Los Santos at framerates that'd be better described as a slide show.
GTA Online Stress Test on PS4/Xbox One Shows Abysmal Performance
Jittery and sluggish framerates aside, GTA Online's dynamic resolution also appears to be at its lowest bounds, resolving in a hazy, aliased image that looks rather chunky in motion, likely made worse by Reddit's video compression. However, it's quite amusing when the textures struggle to load after the 33-second mark in the video, followed by the game completely locking up for two to three seconds, possibly making the player wish they had the PS5 and its fast SSD to help load up the textures on time. The ensuing chaos is also hilarious, with an Oppressor Mk2 zipping by the player and them colliding with a police car right after.
While PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC players would undoubtedly wince at the sight of GTA Online's performance on PS4 and Xbox One (under maximum stress), it's worth noting that a substantial chunk of players still use these previous-gen systems. As of May 2024, around half of the PlayStation user base has yet to upgrade to the PS5. However, the confirmed fall 2025 launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 would likely sway the remaining previous-gen users to pick up a newer console.
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Released
- October 1, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Number of Players
- 1-8 (Online Co-Op); 1-30 (Multiplayer)
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, PS3, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
