Fans have been itching for an update on the launch of the Grand Theft Auto 6, so it's perhaps natural that the release of the GTA 6 trailer has been dissected in minute detail. But fans may be getting a little bit too picky.
There have been incredulous responses after one person listed a litany of 'mistakes' in the trailer, including – shock horror – visible polygons. The complaints have even had X Community Notes added to them (see our pick of the best games consoles if you want to upgrade your setup ahead of the release).
One X user has broken down a long list of supposed mistakes on the GTA 6 trailer, ranging from hair moving too slowly to "visible polygons" on Lucia's arm and a car seat, something the user mistakenly ascribed to "low-res" textures, despite textures having nothing to do with polygons (someone has pointed out that the texel density is quite high is around 10px/cm on the image in question).
Visible polygons on Lucia’s arm and seat due to low-resolution textures.(2/7) pic.twitter.com/21FSMXVnSdAugust 31, 2024
The fan also complained about duplicated elements in scenes – something that's been a common practice to save time and money in game development since time immemorial. It seems the user also wanted to see shadows in places where there would never normally be shadows, even in real life (and let's remember that GTA 6 is a game).
Clothes clipping through the character model.(5/7) pic.twitter.com/jJhK6pONAZAugust 31, 2024
Grass and shadows getting drawn into existence as the camera gets closer.(6/7) pic.twitter.com/aIdIX4SizGSeptember 1, 2024
The distant streetlight is unrendered, but its light is still visible on the ground.(2/7) pic.twitter.com/ZuxROP0jyUSeptember 1, 2024
Ambient occlusion issue with Stefanie’s teeth, which are missing the shaded appearance despite her mouth being almost closed.(7/7)All the mistakes above prove that Rockstar uses in-game footage not CGI, and it will only get better as the game gets closer to launch. pic.twitter.com/9cZ28P8Q3HSeptember 1, 2024
Users with more knowledge of video game design were quick to dismiss many of the issues. "How would textures affect polygons? What hardware do you think can run a game with perfectly smooth geometry?" one person asked. "It's footage of an unfinished game, just being able to see the game in an official capacity is good enough," another person replied. "Oh no... GTA6 is... a video game!" was another response.
Some of the complaints, like mesh clipping on clothes, are more understandable but are perfectly tolerable given current technology. I'll say it again: GTA 6 is a game, and one that isn't even finished. The complaints remind me of all the film directors saying there's no CGI in their films in that they show a lack of understanding of the work of the digital artists behind the scenes.
Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
