It has been an absolutely packed week for game news, and naturally, Grand Theft Auto 6 is taking up a huge chunk of the conversation. After the lengthy gameplay reveal, a few more substantial details have started to trickle out through press previews and technical analysis.
There is also a potentially interesting Xbox move for physical game owners, a busy Gamescom slate, and a frankly ridiculous number of new releases to get through. So, here are the big things worth knowing.
Key Takeaways
- GTA 6 playthroughs may take around 80 hours when story content and narrative-impacting optional goals are included.
- Rockstar’s Leonida map is reportedly around three times the size of Red Dead Redemption 2’s world.
- Digital Foundry’s footage analysis points to 1440p and a stable 30fps on base PS5, though Rockstar has not confirmed modes.
- Xbox’s disc-to-digital programme will begin with eligible Xbox One and Series games for Xbox Insider participants.
Table of Contents
- GTA 6 could take around 80 hours to finish
- How big is the GTA 6 map?
- GTA 6 performance: 1440p and 30fps appear likely on base PS5
- Xbox’s disc-to-digital programme is finally becoming real
- Gamescom brought some exciting updates
- This week’s game releases: Metal Gear, Aliens, Star Wars and more
- There is a lot to unpack from here
GTA 6 could take around 80 hours to finish
Rockstar co-studio head Rob Nelson reportedly said that his own playthrough of Grand Theft Auto 6 took about 80 hours. That run included the main story alongside optional goals that can have narrative consequences.
Now, I still need to see exactly what that means in practice before completely buying into it. We do not know how much of that 80 hours is pure critical-path campaign time, how much comes from meaningful side content, or whether that figure reflects a particularly thorough first playthrough.
Still, it is a pretty gigantic number. Red Dead Redemption 2 already had a long campaign by Rockstar standards, so an 80-hour playthrough would put GTA 6 among the studio’s biggest games ever.
The phrase that really sticks out is those optional goals with narrative ramifications. That suggests choices or activities may influence aspects of the story beyond the usual checklist-style side missions. There has also been discussion around campaign replayability, which would be a pretty interesting shift for a franchise that has traditionally been more about one massive, authored story run.
I am curious to see how deep that goes, because Rockstar has not fully explained it yet. The important part is that it sounds like the relationship material and at least some story-related systems will be optional rather than something forced into every single playthrough. For more on the reported campaign length, see IGN’s GTA 6 playthrough report.
How big is the GTA 6 map?
We know GTA 6 takes place in Leonida, Rockstar’s take on Florida, with Vice City as the main metropolitan centre. But the scale being discussed here is massive.
According to the information coming out of Rockstar’s previews:
- The Vice City portion is reportedly around twice the size of Los Santos, GTA 5’s city region.
- The full GTA 6 world is said to be roughly three times the size of the map in Red Dead Redemption 2.
That is a wild scale. Red Dead Redemption 2 felt enormous, even if riding around on a horse changes the sense of distance compared with blasting down a motorway in a stolen car. A map three times that size, filled with city, swampland, waterways, beaches and Florida-style weirdness, has the potential to be downright absurd.
Of course, a giant map does not automatically mean a better map. The real question is density, variety and whether the world gives me reasons to explore it. Rockstar’s open worlds have usually been good at making travel feel eventful, and the gameplay footage certainly looked packed with life. For a closer breakdown of Rockstar’s map comments, see IGN’s report on GTA 6’s world size.
GTA 6 performance: 1440p and 30fps appear likely on base PS5
The technical discussion around GTA 6 is already getting loud, mostly because the gameplay reveal ended with the phrase “captured on PS5.” If that means a standard PlayStation 5, then the visual detail on display is seriously impressive.
Digital Foundry’s analysis suggests the reveal footage appears to be running at a native 1440p resolution with a relatively stable, well-paced 30 frames per second. Its analysis noted only occasional single-frame drops.
That is not definitive confirmation. Digital Foundry is analysing footage rather than examining raw output directly from a console. But it does give us a reasonable early expectation for the base PS5 version.
Do I love 30fps? No. Absolutely not. I am especially interested in what Rockstar does on PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and what sort of options eventually arrive on PC. Press outlets asked Rob Nelson about ray tracing, frame rate and the possibility of a 60fps performance mode, but he did not get into specifics.
For now, a 60fps option is not confirmed. That part is pure wait-and-see territory.
Performance concerns aside, I thought the gameplay reveal looked great. The third-person shooting, car chases, character switching and new systems all looked promising. The game has the visual density of something that cost a bajillion dollars to make, and the big question is whether the moment-to-moment game is actually as fun as it looks. The driving and shootouts, at least, look cool as hell.
For an in-depth technical look at the footage, Digital Foundry has a detailed GTA 6 rendering analysis.
Xbox’s disc-to-digital programme is finally becoming real
Xbox has officially announced a disc-to-digital programme, initially rolling out to people in the Xbox Insider programme. The basic idea is straightforward: insert an eligible physical Xbox game disc into a compatible console with a disc drive, and you can be prompted to redeem a digital version as well.
Here is what is known so far:
- The feature is intended for Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles with disc drives.
- It is expected to support thousands of games, though the full eligible catalogue has not been detailed.
- The game must work on Xbox One or Xbox Series consoles.
- Original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs are not eligible because they were not made with the required digital identifiers.
I think this is a positive move on the ownership side, especially at a time when physical media constantly feels like it is being shoved closer to the bin. If I own a supported disc, it is nice to have a path to a digital licence without being forced to buy the same game all over again.
That said, I am not throwing a parade for a corporation just yet. It is still Microsoft keeping purchases and licences inside the Xbox ecosystem, and there are important details about the rollout that remain unclear. But as far as a consumer-friendly feature goes, this is a good one. I have a pile of Xbox discs around here, so I am definitely curious to see how it works in the real world.
More rollout details are available in Windows Central’s disc-to-digital coverage.
Gamescom brought some exciting updates
Gamescom was also in full swing this week, with a big mix of existing-game updates and fresh looks at games that have been on my radar.
Tides of Annihilation and No Law look promising
Tides of Annihilation got another gameplay showing, and I still think it looks absolutely awesome. It has a very stylish action-game presentation and continues to stand out in a crowded space.
Then there is No Law, a first-person cyberpunk adventure that initially had obvious Cyberpunk 2077 vibes. The new material makes it look like it has a lot more going on than that, though. There appear to be immersive-sim style choices, stealth systems and some wild, almost Bulletstorm-like action in the mix. It looks creative, chaotic and very much worth keeping an eye on.
Final Fantasy Revelation and more Witcher 3
Gamescom also brought another trailer for Final Fantasy Revelation, the final entry in the remake trilogy built around the original Final Fantasy 7.
The biggest surprise, though, was the pile of The Witcher 3 news. The new expansion, Songs of the Past, showed Geralt fighting new monsters with a chain whip, exploring an entirely new region and apparently getting Dandelion involved in the mess somehow.
Alongside that expansion, CD Projekt Red announced a free remastered update for existing Witcher 3 owners, due in September. It includes gameplay tweaks and visual upgrades. I have played The Witcher 3 a ridiculous number of times across multiple updates, and I did not exactly need another upgrade. But there is a substantial list of changes here, and more support for a game this good is hard to complain about.
Even better, anyone who owns The Witcher 3 but never bought the expansions will get both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine for free. That is a ridiculous amount of excellent game content. There is no excuse left.
This week’s game releases: Metal Gear, Aliens, Star Wars and more
As if the news itself was not enough, this week also had an absurdly busy release slate.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2
I got my physical copy of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, which brings Metal Gear Solid 4 to modern platforms. Being able to play MGS4 on Switch, Xbox and PS5 is pretty amazing.
It is a weird game. It is also a game I absolutely love. The modern port alone makes this collection a big deal for people who have been locked out of it for years.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is out now, and I am honestly glad the original got a sequel. The first game had plenty of promise and I had fun with it, even if it did not completely set the world on fire. I need to make time for this one.
For the full store listing, check out Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 on Steam.
Star Wars: Zero Company
I have been playing Star Wars: Zero Company, and the mixed Steam response seems heavily tied to performance problems. I did not encounter too many major performance issues myself, but I did run into bugs and glitches. As always with PC games, check whether people with hardware similar to yours are having trouble before jumping in.
Once that technical stuff gets patched, though, I think the core game is excellent. It has plenty for both Star Wars fans and XCOM fans to enjoy, and the tactical structure is the real strength here.
1666 Amsterdam is rough early access for now
1666 Amsterdam, from Patrice Désilets, one of the key people behind Assassin’s Creed, has also entered early access. I was excited by the concept and the people involved when it was announced at Summer Game Fest.
Unfortunately, the early response sounds mixed, and it seems extremely early-access right now. I was not that into the demo from a month or so ago either. I still hope the team can clean it up and turn it into something special, because the potential is there. For now, it is a wait-and-see situation.
The early access page is available at 1666 Amsterdam on Steam.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy and Elden Ring on Switch 2
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy also released. It is a combat-focused spin-off from the A Plague Tale series, but I did not have time to get hands-on with it. I would rather take the time to properly cover a game than rush out a half-baked opinion.
Finally, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition has arrived for Nintendo Switch 2, bringing updates along with the long-awaited portable version. If playing Elden Ring on Switch 2 was the dream, well, there it is. Nintendo has more details on its Elden Ring Tarnished Edition store page.
There is a lot to unpack from here
GTA 6 is obviously the story that will dominate conversation. An 80-hour playthrough, a map potentially triple the size of Red Dead Redemption 2 and what looks to be 1440p at 30fps on base PS5 is a lot to process before Rockstar has even fully laid out its performance modes and systems.
I am interested in the small stuff as much as the giant headline numbers, though. How flexible are the story choices? How does character switching change the campaign? How much of Leonida is dense, explorable and worth returning to? And will Rockstar actually offer a 60fps option on any console hardware?
Outside of GTA 6, Xbox’s disc-to-digital initiative could be a meaningful win for people with physical collections, while Gamescom and this release slate make it clear that the next few weeks are not slowing down at all. There are a lot of games to play, a lot of reviews to sort through and, frankly, not enough time.
GTA 6 and Xbox Disc-to-Digital FAQ
How long will GTA 6 take to complete?
Rockstar co-studio head Rob Nelson reportedly completed the game in around 80 hours, including the main story and optional objectives with narrative consequences. The exact length of a story-only run is still unknown.
How large is the GTA 6 map compared with previous Rockstar games?
The full GTA 6 map is reportedly around three times larger than Red Dead Redemption 2’s map, while the Vice City area alone is said to be about twice the size of Los Santos from GTA 5.
Will GTA 6 run at 60fps on PS5 or Xbox Series X?
Rockstar has not confirmed a 60fps mode. Digital Foundry’s early analysis of the gameplay footage suggests a 1440p, 30fps presentation on base PS5, but performance modes for other consoles have not been detailed.
Which Xbox discs will work with the disc-to-digital programme?
The programme is intended to support eligible Xbox One and Xbox Series games on consoles with disc drives. Original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs are not supported because they do not have the required digital identifiers.
