Gamers urged to make these changes to PlayStation 5 and Xbox before GTA 6 comes out

Some fans have been waiting over a decade for GTA 6 to release, and with it now just over a fortnight away you'll want to make sure that your consoles are set up the right way to avoid any issues.

Part of the appeal of home consoles is the fact that you often don't need to tweak or fiddle with settings to achieve the best results, yet for GTA 6 many will want to do as much as they can to get the most out of the game.

One thing you might already be considering is the opportunity to play the game early through a simple loophole, but you'll also want to check a handful of console-level features to enhance your experience once the game is loaded up.

While there are some PlayStation-specific settings that make the marketing taglines feel like more than just a gimmick, some of these can also apply to Xbox gamers too, ensuring that everyone is getting the best possible experience when GTA 6 launches on November 19.

Which settings should you change ahead of GTA 6?

As shared by Engadget, one of the best settings you want to make sure is enabled ahead of GTA 6 relates to your TV's refresh rate and potential VRR (variable refresh rate) options.

VRR & Frame Rate

While GTA 6 will be locked at 30 fps at launch – although PS5 Pro performance is still somewhat of a mystery – ensuring that the framerate remains stable and smooth will make it feel so much better, and VRR can help a lot with that.

You'll want to make sure that GTA 6 is running as smooth as possible, and VRR can help a lot with that (Rockstar Games)

To enable VRR, make sure to follow these steps:

• Heading into your PS5's Settings menu, then navigate to Screen and Video
• From there, select Video Output, and then VRR
• Turn this setting on to Apply to Unsupported Games

This should make the game feel even just a little bit better, and you'll also want to make sure that you've got a HDMI 2.1 supported TV and HDMI cable – plugged into the right port – in order to improve smoothness at 120Hz.

The same can also be done on Xbox by enabling VRR, alongside checking your HMDI setup:

• Heading into the Settings menu on your Xbox console
• Find the General tab, and select TV & Display Options
• Navigate to the Advanced section, and then select Video Modes
• Change the Variable Refresh Rate setting to Always On

3D Audio

Some would argue that sound is just as important as visuals when it comes to enjoying a game, especially when developers have likely spent years fine tuning everything that your ears will experience in GTA 6.

As a result, trying out PlayStation's bespoke 3D Audio settings could help you achieve a more immersive experience at launch — although it does require the right hardware to run it.

Any wired headphone can take advantage of this tech – including Bluetooth devices that can be connecting using a cable – but Sony also has its own specifically-designed headsets to best suit the 3D audio soundscape provided by the console.

Turn 3D Audio on by enabling the following settings:

• Head into the PS5 Settings menu, and find the Sound menu
• Navigate to 3D Audio (Headphones) and select Create Personalized 3D Audio Profile
• Complete the audio test to fine tune your headphones for gaming

HDR

Not everyone will be able to take advantage of this but it's something you need to get right if your TV supports it, as HDR can make or break your experience playing GTA 6.

You might have gone out to buy a new OLED panel ahead of GTA 6, but ensuring that HDR is set up is essential beforehand. Bad HDR can leave your screen looking washed out or too dark, and the settings themselves can vary from unit to unit.

Good HDR calibration will make the game look the best it possibly can, so get ahead of the curve by tuning it now (Rockstar Games)

While most modern TVs are technically HDR certified, it's best to leave it disabled unless you have an OLED panel or something similar, and have a display with a high-enough peak brightness level.

If that sounds like you though, you'll want to head into your Xbox or PlayStation's display settings to manually tweak the HDR calibration options, which can be found by following these steps:

PlayStation 5

• Head into Settings, then Screen and Video
• Find the Video Output option
• Select Adjust HDR

Xbox

• Navigate to your Xbox console settings, then General
• Head into TV & Display Options and then select Calibrate HDR for Games

You'll also want to play around with your TV's own settings, although that's probably best saved for when you've got GTA 6 loaded up for live monitoring.

Make sure to check your console's firmware version too

One final thing to ensure ahead of GTA 6's launch is that your console's firmware is up to date, as you won't be able to download or play the game without having the latest version.

Sony specifically has released three new firmware updates in the last month alone – likely in a bid to beat hackers attempting to jailbreak the console for GTA 6 – so keep checking the console's update status and make sure to download and install as soon as a new one appears.

Right now the latest version is 14.22.00.00, although that still could change in the days ahead of release, so keep checking regularly for any further updates.