Engadget is pushing PlayStation 5 owners to change their video settings before GTA VI arrives, and the practical reason is simple: the game is expected to strain consoles. For anyone planning to play GTA VI Xbox Series S? No — on PS5, the checklist starts with VRR, 120Hz output, and HDR.
VRR and 120Hz on PS5
VRR lets a TV adjust its refresh rate on the fly to match the frames the PlayStation 5 is actually producing. That can smooth motion when frame rates dip in a busy chase or on a crowded street, and it usually depends on HDMI 2.1. On the console, the path runs through Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output, then VRR, with Apply to Unsupported Games available in the same menu.
120Hz output is the next switch to check. It lets the PS5 send a 120Hz signal to TVs and games that can use it, and the console should be connected to an HDMI 2.1 input because not every HDMI port on a TV carries that signal. Even if GTA VI ends up capped at 30fps on consoles, 30fps fits into a 120Hz signal exactly, with each frame held for four refreshes.
HDR before GTA VI
HDR is the third setting worth sorting out before GTA VI comes out. It can reveal more detail in very dark and very bright scenes, while keeping colors from looking washed out or crushed. Sony’s HDR setting can be left on Always On or set to On When Supported, and the TV should have HDR turned on for the HDMI input the PS5 uses.
Always On forces even games and apps that are not HDR-compatible into HDR output. On When Supported keeps non-HDR games and apps in standard dynamic range. That choice comes down to how much a player wants consistency across the entire console library versus a cleaner split between HDR and non-HDR software.
Adjust HDR before GTA VI
The most important step is calibration. Adjust HDR should be run in the room lighting the player actually uses, because the setting is only useful when the screen is tuned for the actual play environment, and the calibration only has to be done once.
That is the part worth doing before launch day, not after. GTA VI is described as almost here after more than 13 long years, and the point of the guide is to get a PS5 and its TV ready before the game tests every bit of juice a console can provide, even on a PlayStation 5 Pro.
