Grand Theft Auto 6’s graphics are blowing fans’ minds

Rockstar Games released 63 new Grand Theft Auto 6 screenshots on Tuesday, and you’d better believe fans have spent the day poring through each and every pixel. The trove has proven to be a fire hose of new information about the open-world game — its customization options, vehicles, and weapons. And while fans are excited by all the possibilities teased by these aspects of GTA 6, many are fixated on one surprising detail.

It’s a small thing that’s easy to miss, especially if you’re not interested in purchasing GTA 6‘s Ultimate Edition. The $99.99 version of the game comes with a variety of perks, one of which is the ’67 Vapid Dominator Buggy pictured at the top of this post. You can’t even see the driver clearly in this screenshot, but it doesn’t matter. The only thing fans care about here is the wet dirt.

“Holy shit,” one Redditor wrote, while directing everyone’s attention to the mud. The top-voted reply reads, “Holy fuck it looks real.”

Based on the screenshot, it seems like the ground will be reactive — if you drive over mud, you’ll leave behind tire tracks as wet chunks are tossed into the air. The image also suggests that cars will have working windshield wipers. If so, then the visible water condensation in some of the other screenshots isn’t just for show:

Once the mud dries, your car will be dirty and in need of washing:

Image: Rockstar Games

Rockstar’s games usually feature realistic environmental details like these. In the case of GTA 6, the mud isn’t there to give you a vague sense of immersion. As fans might recall, the first GTA 6 trailer released in 2023 briefly displayed a soaked area run by a group called the Thrillbilly Mud Club. The locale — and the bikini woman at the forefront of the club — both appear to be inspired by a rowdy real-life off-roading event in Florida. The event is a giant party where people race and pull their trucks through dense, messy terrain. As you can see below, the people who attend these events already sound like characters in a GTA game:

Will the end product actually be as impressive as these images suggest, or are they bullshots? According to Digital Foundry, Rockstar’s graphics feature impressive ray-tracing technology that helps puddles and reflections look almost photorealistic. The technical experts cast doubt on whether these incredible graphics are actually possible on consoles, however.

Rockstar says that GTA 6 will have PS5 Pro enhancements of some sort, but isn’t being specific about what those are. While such features can push visuals beyond a base PS5, Digital Foundry argues that even the souped-up hardware may not be able to render the game nearly as well as these screenshots suggest.

If not, some fans will be disappointed by the apparent deception. Most will probably enjoy the game regardless of whether the mud clumps as it would in real life.

We’ll find out just how impressive that mud tech really is when Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on Nov. 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.