A reported system software requirement could force some PS5 owners to choose between retaining an older jailbreak and playing Rockstar’s next game.
Grand Theft Auto VI will reportedly require PS5 system software version 14.10.00.00 or newer, potentially preventing consoles kept on older firmware from running the game without an update.
The claim originates from PlayStation Store backend information attributed to tracking account PlayStation Game Size, according to reporting by VideoCardz and TweakTown. Rockstar and Sony have not officially confirmed the requirement.
If accurate, it would create a compatibility barrier for owners retaining older software to use existing jailbreak tools. However, describing it as a permanent block on every jailbroken PlayStation would go further than the available evidence supports.
Why the firmware version matters
A jailbreak relies on vulnerabilities in particular versions of a console’s software. Updating can close those vulnerabilities, leaving an existing method incompatible with the updated system.
The reported GTA VI requirement attracted attention because the Relapse jailbreak supports firmware versions up to 13.60, below the claimed minimum for Rockstar’s game.
If that requirement remains in place, a console running 13.60 or earlier would need newer system software to launch GTA VI through the normal supported process. Updating would move it outside Relapse’s supported firmware range.
For affected owners, the issue would therefore extend beyond obtaining a legitimate copy of the game: their console would also need to meet its software requirements.
Is this specifically an anti-jailbreak measure?
The practical effect could be to exclude systems using older jailbreaks, but the intention behind the reported requirement has not been established.
Neither Sony nor Rockstar has publicly confirmed that GTA VI’s minimum firmware was selected specifically to stop jailbroken consoles. TweakTown’s coverage acknowledges that the requirement itself remains unconfirmed.
A minimum software version and a dedicated system for detecting modified consoles are different things. The reports concern the former; they do not establish that GTA VI scans for a jailbreak and automatically blocks anyone who has used one.
New exploit claims complicate the picture
The situation has also developed since the initial firmware reports.
Later coverage described a demonstration by security researcher Gezine showing access to debug functionality on firmware 14.10. That demonstration does not establish that GTA VI can run on a modified console, nor does it prove that a complete, publicly available jailbreak supports the game.
Notebookcheck subsequently reported further exploit developments involving 14.00 and 14.10, while noting that important compatibility limitations remained.
Those developments make sweeping claims about a permanent lockout unreliable. They also do not justify claiming that GTA VI’s protections have already been defeated.
What does it mean for ordinary PS5 players?
For owners who routinely update an unmodified PS5, the reported requirement would largely amount to ensuring the console’s system software meets the game’s minimum version.
The more significant implications concern people deliberately retaining older firmware for homebrew or other modifications. Jailbreaking has uses beyond piracy, so those owners should not automatically be described as attempting to play an illegal copy.
For now, the accurate conclusion is narrower than some headlines suggest: GTA VI reportedly requires newer firmware than Relapse supports, but an official requirement and a blanket ban on jailbroken consoles have not been confirmed.