Rockstar Games continue to update their RAGE engine with new features, including procedural generation, to aid in the development of GTA VI.
According to a job description spotted on the GTA VI subreddit, the RAGE engine has seen a series of improvements. Previously, we detailed the ray-tracing support being implemented for GTA VI. It now appears that Rockstar Games is enhancing their visual pipeline, with plans to implement features like ray-tracing, ray-traced global illumination, and procedural generation for objects and game environments in the RAGE engine.
Ray-tracing is an expensive endeavor, especially in open-world games. However, Rockstar Games has a history of setting industry benchmarks with their titles. Their last major release, Red Dead Redemption 2, remains unmatched in open-world detail and visual quality. GTA VI is expected to raise the bar even higher with these next-generation features.
It should be noted that this doesn’t guarantee the game will feature ray-tracing or other ray-traced features like shadows or global illumination. Although these technologies are used in current-generation games like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, their usage is not yet widespread.
The PS5 Pro is supposed to offer better ray-tracing features, so if Rockstar decides to utilize them, it might become the console with the definitive version of GTA VI. Procedural generation is likely intended for the development tools Rockstar Games uses to create their expansive open worlds. While not a new concept, it gives hope that the developers are targeting a 2025 release window.
Grand Theft Auto VI hasn’t been officially confirmed for PC yet, but the job description for Principal Engine Programmer indicates that the RAGE engine is being developed with both PC and consoles in mind. This suggests a PC version of GTA VI might be released later.
Grand Theft Auto VI is confirmed for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X, with a launch planned for Fall 2025, barring any delays.
