Name a more highly anticipated title than Grand Theft Auto VI. I’ll wait. Can’t do it? Don’t worry, neither can I. The only game that may come close is…well, Grand Theft Auto V. Before this 11-year (and counting) wait between GTA V and GTA VI the longest time we’ve been forced to wait between GTA titles has been the 5-year gap between GTA IV (2008) and GTA V (2013). Will Xbox Series S owners need to wait any longer?

With anticipation for Rockstar Games’ next big release at an all-time high, many gamers (including myself) are left with a major question: How will my current console hold up against such a demanding title? If you’re “Team Playstation”, congratulations, you currently don’t have many questions that need answering as the Playstation 5 is Sony’s only newest console. But for us Xbox people, there’s a bit more to think about when it comes to those of us who own Microsoft’s “Next-Gen Budget Box”: The Xbox Series S.

A Comparison of System Specifications: Then

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Times have surely changed. Gone are the simpler times when a game is released, you install it, and you’re ready to go. There’s a lot more to take into consideration nowadays. What CPU does your system have? What GPU? SSD? Memory? It’s literally like a second language that most casual gamers don’t care to learn. I consider myself a pretty hardcore gamer, and I don’t care much about that either.

When the Xbox 360 was released in 2005, system specs it ran on a triple-core IBM-designed Xenon CPU, a Xenos (or R500) GPU chip, and had 512MB of RAM.  Sounds familiar right? Not exactly. That’s because back then nobody cared. The games that were made for the Xbox 360 were undoubtedly capable of running on the Xbox 360.

And Now

With Microsoft’s release of two current-gen consoles, gaming has become a bit more than “plug-n-play”. Today, you need to be mindful of which Xbox you have so that you don’t end up with a copy of the newest Madden game looking like Madden 01. Today’s Xbox series S comes with a Zen 2 CPU, RDNA 2 GPU, 10 GB of GDDR6 memory, and a 512 GB SSD. While these specs are impressive for a budget console, they present some performance issues in comparison to the mightier Xbox Series X, which has a more powerful GPU and additional memory.

The Track Record

Before counting the Series S out, let’s look at how it has handled some past high-demanding open-world games. AAA titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2, CyberPunk 2077, and even GTA V run pretty well on the Xbox Series S. All three of these examples are phenomenally detailed and large-scaled, and also important to note, all three of these titles were first released on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One where they ran great.

The Series S is equipped with significantly more graphics and processing power than these last-gen consoles, which tells you why the Xbox Series S has been exceptional in handling these titles. This suggests that the Series S should be more than capable of handling GTA VI, though maybe not at the highest settings.

Rockstar Being Rockstars

The Xbox Series S is inferior to its big brother, the Series X, in terms of raw power. Microsoft knew it when they created them. The entire gaming world knows it. Most importantly for owners of the Series S, Rockstar knows and understands. Why is this detail important? Well, in the past, Rockstar has optimized their games to be suitable for an array of devices.

Although Rockstar has yet to mention any specifics about adjusting GTA VI in any way for the Xbox Series S, it is likely that they, along with iconic publisher Take-Two Interactive, will ensure the title is as accessible as possible for Series S owners, even if that involves a slight bit of downscaling certain aspects of the game. This scaled-down route would likely sacrifice some graphics, but focus on maintaining smooth performance and essential gameplay features.

What does all this mean?

So now we’re back around to the initial question: Will my Xbox Series S be able to handle the highly anticipated GTA VI? Yes. Yes, it will. Will I be able to run the game at its maximum potential? Most likely not. As mentioned, Rockstar always looks to optimize their games to be a good fit for all hardware.

Beyond that, Xbox Series S owners may be able to enjoy the game without Rockstar’s downscaling through services like Xbox Cloud Gaming which allow for games to be streamed at higher settings than hardware may typically allow. So whether you decide to upgrade to the Series X or stick with the budget-friendly Series S, you can look forward to tearing through the streets of Vice City when GTA VI releases.

Grand Theft Auto VI is set to release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox X|S in the Fall of 2025, and on PC in late 2026.

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