Rockstar Games is apparently adding ray tracing to the PC version of GTA V, based on the findings of a new datamine.
Twitter/X user TezFunz2, who is known for reporting the latest happenings regarding Rockstar Games’ titles, has shared that a leftover metadata file discovered in a recent datamine indicates that the developer has been working on a “Gen9” version of GTA V for PC since earlier this year in 2024. He further mentioned that the addition of BattlEye may be seen as preparations for the arrival of the “Gen9” version on PC.
“Gen9” seemingly refers to the version of the game that has been available on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. It offers ray tracing, Career Progression, and the GTA+ subscription, and these features are likely being incorporated into the existing PC version of GTA V. Furthermore, the update may also establish feature parity between the PS5/Xbox Series and PC versions of GTA Online.
In related news, during a recent interview on the SanInPlay YouTube channel, Joe Robino, former senior camera artist and virtual cinematographer at Rockstar Games, talked about a “kick ass” standalone DLC project for GTA V that never saw the light of day. According to him, despite the project’s cancellation, some of its elements were integrated into GTA Online. Robino elaborated on his role as a main editor and camera artist for the DLC and described the division of teams within Rockstar. A significant portion of the team moved to work on Red Dead Redemption 2, while him and others continued to work on GTA Online and the DLC. The decision to cancel the standalone DLC was made because GTA Online “was so much of a cash cow”, which made it hard to justify investing in a standalone project that might out-compete the ongoing success of the online component. He termed it as a business decision.
