Andy Nguyen, better known as TheFlow, is taking an indefinite leave from the PlayStation 5 Linux scene, starting today. This is the same person who previously released a public build letting certain PS5 owners boot into Linux and run Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced with ray tracing. He is now stopping all further work on the project.
In a post on X, Nguyen said he had poured months of his life into it, including concrete plans to finish PlayStation 5 Pro support and release it in 2027, only for everything to go "all down the sink."
His reason? As he explains, was other people in the scene finding and reporting to Sony the last remaining hypervisor bug.
In the console hacking / homebrew scene, unpatched (or privately held) exploits are the reason why development can continue. Once Sony gets a hold of a certain vulnerability and patches via a firmware update, any console that installs the new firmware loses the ability to use that exploit. The Flow, among others, had intentionally kept this hypervisor-level vulnerability hidden, hoping to use it later this year so that people who bought the eventual PC port of Grand Theft Auto VI legally could still potentially run it under Linux on compatible hardware.
After reportedly agreeing, another modder presumably took advantage of the information and reported it to Sony through their bug bounty program anyway, closing the exploit off permanently.
Hypothetical Impact of PS5 Linux Supporting GTA 6
Aspect | What Would Likely Have Changed | What Would Likely Stay the Same | Notes / Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
Hardware Reuse | Owners of compatible PS5s (Phat/Slim on vulnerable firmware) could run the PC version of GTA 6 on existing hardware | Most players would still need/prefer official console or dedicated PC versions | Soft-mod only; resets on reboot; specific firmware required |
Performance | Possible to run PC GTA 6 with ray tracing / higher settings on PS5 hardware (based on GTA V Enhanced results) | Native PS5/PS5 Pro versions would remain more optimized and stable | GTA 6 is far more demanding; expected lower settings, resolution, or FPS trade-offs |
Release Timing | Ability to play the PC version on day one of the PC launch (bypassing some of the console-first window) | Rockstar’s usual console-first, PC-later schedule unchanged | Depends on when (or if) the PC version arrives |
Who Benefits Most | Technically inclined users who never updated firmware and want PC-style controls or modding potential |
Summary of how continued development of the PS5 Linux mod (via an unpatched hypervisor exploit) could have affected players, hardware use, timing, and the broader scene if it had reached a state where GTA 6 could run on it.
Nguyen’s earlier public release supported original “Phat” PS5 consoles on firmware 3.xx–4.xx, which meant consoles unpatched from April 2021 through March 2022, and turned the console into a temporary Linux machine capable of running the PC version of the latest and most graphically impressive version of Grand Theft Auto V on consoles. It was never a permanent conversion, had 60 Hz limitations, and was always more of a technical proof of concept than a practical daily driver for most people. Further improvements and Pro support were the next steps he had publicly discussed.
With Nguyen stepping away and the remaining exploit reported, those plans appear finished. The existing public build may still work on compatible hardware for now, but active development, Pro support, and any longer-term hope of running GTA 6 this way are off the table, at least as far as the exploit Nguyen is talking about is concerned.
The best-case scenario, had the plans pushed through, is that owners of vulnerable PS5s could have played the PC build of GTA 6 on day one of the PC launch without needing to buy new hardware.
With that said, most Grand Theft Auto fans aren't affected by this news. This was always for a niche group of technically inclined owners a way who wanted to run the PC version of GTA 6 on PS5 hardware they already had. The official console releases would still have been the best way to play GTA 6.