By GTA 6 on PS5 needs system software 14.10.00 or newer, according to the PlayStation Game Size tracker, which digs the data out of PlayStation’s backend. That’s 14.10, not 14.00, which is what a few Telegram channels wrote. The number comes from a tracker, not from Sony or Rockstar, and there are six weeks left for it to change before November 19. For most players it changes nothing. For people who keep their console on old firmware on purpose, it changes a lot.
What the tracker found
The tracker reads what the PlayStation backend says about a game: size, version, and the minimum system software the console must run to start it. For GTA 6 that line says 14.10.00 (Notebookcheck and GTA 6 News covered it). It’s a snapshot of the current build, so the final number can still move.
Why anyone cares comes down to the PS5 jailbreak scene. At the end of September a new exploit called Relapse came out, and it works on firmware from 7.00 to 13.60 (HotHardware, tbreak). Sony released update 14.00 on September 16, and Relapse doesn’t run on it. Put those dates next to the GTA 6 number and you get this:
| PS5 system software | What it means |
|---|---|
| 7.00 to 13.60 | The Relapse jailbreak works |
| 14.00 | Released by Sony on September 16; Relapse doesn’t work |
| 14.10.00 | The minimum for GTA 6, according to the tracker |
What it means for you
If your PS5 updates itself, you don’t need to do anything. If you’ve switched automatic updates off, here’s the short version:
- update the console before preload opens on November 12, so the download doesn’t stall on a system update;
- a PS5 asks for the newer system software before it starts a game that needs it, so you’ll see the prompt anyway, just at a worse moment;
- if your console stays on 13.60 or lower for the sake of an exploit, GTA 6 most likely won’t launch on it;
- running exploits risks a ban for both your account and the console on PSN.
How much space to clear is on our storage page, and if you’re still choosing hardware, which console to buy for GTA 6 has that covered.
On Xbox nobody has dug up a number like this.
Why a game is tied to firmware at all
This part is less dramatic than the headlines make it. Every console game is built with Sony’s development kit, the SDK, and each SDK version expects the system software it shipped with. Build the final version of GTA 6 on a newer SDK, and the minimum firmware goes up by itself. Most games do this, and nobody writes news about it. Teams often move to a fresh SDK in the last weeks before launch for its fixes, and the firmware line moves with it.
The side effect is what people are talking about. Each new firmware closes the holes the old exploits used, so a game that requires 14.10 can’t be run on a console that stayed on 13.60 to keep its jailbreak. Did Rockstar pick that version to stop piracy on day one, or is it just the SDK the final build uses? I’d bet on the second. The jailbreak scene gets hit either way.
What I like about this story is how ordinary it is. Months of trailers, theories and a deleted rating description, and one of the real launch-day problems turns out to be a version number in a settings menu. Check it once in November, and Vice City will start the way it should, with a loading screen and nothing else.
FAQ
What PS5 firmware does GTA 6 need?
According to the PlayStation Game Size tracker, GTA 6 needs PS5 system software 14.10.00 or newer. Sony and Rockstar haven’t announced the requirement themselves, and it can still change before November 19.
Does GTA 6 require PS5 firmware 14.00?
No, the tracker lists 14.10.00. The 14.00 figure that went around in some Telegram posts is wrong. Update 14.00 itself came out on September 16.
Will GTA 6 work on a jailbroken PS5?
Most likely not. The Relapse exploit works on firmware up to 13.60, and GTA 6 reportedly needs 14.10 or newer. Exploits also risk an account and console ban on PSN.
Do I need to update my PS5 before the GTA 6 preload?
It’s the safest plan. Preload opens on November 12, and updating before then means the download won’t wait on a system update.