Grand Theft Auto 6 is only coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S at launch, but that doesn’t mean those consoles will be the only places to play it. Technically, fans who are still on Xbox One, which came out back in 2013, will also have a shot at exploring Rockstar Games’ latest version of Vice City thanks to Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Microsoft revealed the surprise last-gen perk in an update to its cloud gaming program this week. “Grand Theft Auto VI will be playable on day one through Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, starting at 1am ET,” the company announced. “That means more players can experience one of the most anticipated games of the year on the consoles they already own. The game uses Xbox Series S graphics settings when cloud-streamed with Xbox Cloud Gaming.”
Series S graphics settings include the game running at a targeted 30fps framerate, the same as what will be available to players on Xbox Series X and PS5, as well as PS5 Pro. Sony’s more powerful hardware will still give players access to improved image quality with PSSR, but the game won’t run at 60fps anywhere, at least not at launch.
So what do you need in order to play GTA 6 on an Xbox One? Well, you’ll still need to own a digital copy of the game, which costs $80 and began pre-loading this week. You’ll also need access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, either via a Game Pass subscription or via à la carte pricing. Ten hours of cloud gaming time in Vice City will cost Xbox owners $4.
What you won’t be able to do is stream GTA 6 to a mobile device or PC. Those options, which are a standard part of the rest of Xbox Cloud Gaming’s offerings, are excluded from the streaming agreement with Rockstar. It’s unclear if that’s a functionality that may be added sometime down the road after the game has been out for a while. GTA 6 will also support remote play on both Xbox and PS5, meaning you can stream it to other screens locally, including the PS Portal.
“We’re excited to bring Grand Theft Auto 6 to more Xbox players at launch, and we will also be adding more titles from Rockstar Games to Xbox Cloud Gaming including Grand Theft Auto 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and more in the coming months,” Microsoft added in today’s announcement.
I have no idea how many Xbox Ones are still out in the wild, or how many people may be tempted to blow the dust off of them instead of upgrading to a current-gen console. But given the ongoing price hikes for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, it’s a really nice option for those who can’t otherwise afford to buy new hardware this fall for GTA 6.
