GTA 6 Trailer 2 Tech Breakdown Will Blow Your Mind – Real-Time Reflections, Unreal Hair, and More

Rockstar’s GTA 6 Trailer 2 may have been just under three minutes, but that was more than enough time to shatter expectations and start fights in comment sections. The visuals? Insane. The realism? Almost suspicious. And the tech running under the hood? Possibly black magic disguised as code.

Now that Rockstar has confirmed the entire trailer was captured in-game on a base PlayStation 5, it’s time we put those pixel-perfect moments under a microscope. Whether it’s the reflections in Jason’s sunglasses or the sweat beads rolling down Lucia’s forehead, this trailer might just be the most advanced visual showcase of any console game to date.

The Trailer’s Resolution and Frame Rate

Let’s get the basics out of the way. Rockstar released Trailer 2 in 4K at 30fps, though internal resolution analysis pegs it closer to 2560×1152—roughly 80% of full 1440p on the vertical axis. The slight softness suggests a spatial upscaler is in use, probably something similar to AMD’s FSR 1.0. The aspect ratio? A cinematic-looking 20:9, thanks to those black bars. Not your typical 16:9 output, but it adds to the movie-like vibe Rockstar seems to be going for. What does this all mean? Rockstar has chosen fidelity over performance. And honestly, with visuals like these, we’re not mad.

Kind of Cutscenes Disguised as Gameplay? Kind of.

Yes, Rockstar called the trailer a mix of cutscenes and gameplay, but let’s be real: most of it leans hard into cinematic territory. That doesn’t mean it’s not real—it’s just staged in a way that lets Rockstar show off their visual chops. There are signs of “artificial lighting” used in certain scenes—like characters lit from the front while the sun is behind them. It’s the kind of lighting trick you’d find on a film set. But even with this, the material fidelity, character detail, and scene composition still look achievable in-engine.

Ray-Traced Global Illumination (RTGI)

What gives GTA 6 that “you sure this isn’t real life?” look is likely ray-traced global illumination (RTGI). This is where light doesn’t just hit surfaces—it bounces off, scatters, and colors everything it touches. And boy, does it bounce beautifully here. Look at the scene at 0:45 when police cars pull up: warm glows from headlights spill onto concrete walls, lights bleed into nearby surfaces, and even the reflections on the metal feel… right. This isn’t just high-quality baked lighting—it’s dynamic, indirect light calculation that reacts to the environment.

What’s even more impressive is how stable it all looks. High-end PC games using Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen often suffer from flickering or ghosting in dynamic lighting. GTA 6? None of that. The lighting is as smooth as Jason’s tan lines.

Ray-Traced Reflections (and Not Just on Mirrors)

Next-gen visuals aren’t complete without reflections, and GTA 6 goes full throttle with real-time ray-traced reflections—including on transparent and semi-transparent surfaces. The gold standard here is at 0:28: Jason’s driving with the window almost rolled down, and the reflections on the glass are layered and precise. You see sky reflections on the remaining strip of glass, reflections in the mirrors, his sunglasses, even his wristwatch. There’s no way to fake that kind of detail with screen-space reflections alone.

Later scenes with beer bottles at 0:42 and 2:09 push the envelope further—complete with bubbles, sloshing liquid, and lighting that interacts realistically with translucent glass. This is next-gen rendering at its finest, and it’s happening in real time, on a console.

Shadows: Mostly Traditional, But Effective

Interestingly, shadows seem to rely more on traditional shadow mapping than ray tracing. At 1:42, the drawer handles cast shadows that don’t perfectly connect, a typical artifact of this approach. That said, penumbra effects (soft shadow edges) and detailed character shadows still look very clean. Rockstar appears to be using shadow maps strategically to balance performance and visual fidelity, and honestly, it works. Most players will never notice the minor inaccuracies.

Hair and Character Rendering: Wildly Impressive

Forget Red Dead Redemption 2’s horse physics—GTA 6’s hair physics are the new flex. At 1:11, Lucia’s hair whips around as she rolls on the bed. Then again, at 1:36, you can see Jason’s hair fluttering subtly in the breeze. This isn’t the usual “stiff hair helmet” you see in games. This looks like a strand-based hair simulation, allowing for realistic movement and diverse styles (finally, curls that bounce!).

To keep things running smoothly, there’s clear dynamic resolution adjustment—Jason’s hair at 1:38 looks a little lower-res, possibly as an optimization when other characters or effects are present. Smart move. The skin rendering is equally meticulous. At multiple points (1:33 and 2:12), characters are visibly sweaty, with specular highlights dancing off moist skin in a way that’s uncomfortably lifelike. Rockstar even adds arm fuzz and secondary clothing animation—because of course they do.

Clothing Physics and Environmental Interactions

Baggy clothes flow with natural movement, bending at joints and reacting to motion in believable ways. At 1:27, pay attention to the way Jason’s shirt sways as he enters the house—it’s subtle, but sells the realism. There’s also environmental responsiveness in small things: swaying palm trees, cloth banners, and even individual bubbles in drink glasses. It’s not just visual set-dressing—it’s interactive atmosphere.

Is 60fps Possible?

With this level of fidelity, 60fps on consoles looks unlikely. Between RTGI, RT reflections, complex animations, and a massive open world, it’s hard to imagine a “performance mode” that doesn’t look like a visual downgrade. Could Rockstar offer a cutscene-at-30fps/gameplay-at-60fps hybrid mode? Maybe. But would it still feel cohesive? That’s the real question. Until further optimization details emerge, it’s safer to assume GTA 6 will be locked to 30fps on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S—at least in its default, visually maxed-out form.

Unless Nintendo has been hiding a nuclear-powered handheld, Switch 2 probably won’t be able to handle GTA 6. Not with this level of real-time lighting, physics, and CPU demand. Even Steam Deck and ROG Ally users should manage expectations. The sheer scale of Rockstar’s open world, coupled with all this visual complexity, means only beefier hardware—likely not even released yet—will run GTA 6 smoothly when the eventual PC version drops.