Grid: Autosport -dlc High Resolution Car Texture...
The "High Resolution Car Texture Pack" DLC for GRID Autosport aims to enhance visual fidelity by replacing standard vehicle textures with 4K-equivalent variants. While the pack successfully reduces visible compression artifacts and improves livery sharpness, it introduces significant performance trade-offs on mid-range hardware. Recommendation: Conditional Approval – ideal for high-end PC and modern console remasters, but requires a VRAM warning for base PS4/Xbox One users.
Interestingly, the mobile port of GRID Autosport (iOS/Android) runs on a modified version of this high-res engine. If you have played the mobile version and loved how sharp the cars looked, this PC DLC brings the PC version up to that standard (and beyond, thanks to PC anti-aliasing options).
In an era where developers sell "Ultimate Editions" with cut content, Codemasters (and Feral Interactive) did something rare in 2015. They identified a bottleneck in their aging game and gave the community a free tool to fix it.
The GRID Autosport - DLC High Resolution Car Texture Pack extended the competitive life of the game by roughly three years. When the eSports community started moving away from GRID Autosport in 2017, the main reason wasn't gameplay—it was graphics. Those who stayed installed this pack. GRID Autosport -DLC High Resolution Car Texture...
Furthermore, it serves as a benchmark for how to handle remasters. Instead of selling a "GRID Autosport Remastered" for $40, they gave us the visual upgrade for free and focused dev resources on GRID (2019) and F1 series.
Document ID: GA-DLC-HRCT-2024 Subject: GRID Autosport (PC/Steam/Re-Release) Focus: High Resolution Car Texture Pack DLC
Beauty comes at a cost. The High Resolution Car Texture Pack is a VRAM hog. The "High Resolution Car Texture Pack" DLC for
Before we praise the DLC, we have to understand the problem it solved. When GRID Autosport launched in 2014, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were still in their infancy. The game was cross-gen, built primarily for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Consequently, the car textures—specifically the paint, decals, and interior dashboards—were optimized for 720p resolutions.
The "Muddy" Effect: On a standard 1080p monitor, the vanilla cars looked acceptable. But zoom in during a photo finish or use the cockpit camera, and disaster struck. The carbon fiber looked like grey plastic. The logos on racing suits blurred into abstract smudges. The metallic flakes in paint jobs looked flat.
The Rise of 4K: As 4K monitors became standard for PC gamers, GRID Autosport began to show its age. Low-resolution textures on high-poly models are a visual tragedy. It’s like putting a cheap wig on a supermodel. The underlying physics and lighting were still excellent, but the cars looked like they belonged on a PlayStation 2. In an era where developers sell "Ultimate Editions"
Codemasters recognized this gap. Instead of releasing a full remaster, they opted for a targeted, free (on most platforms) DLC solution: The High Resolution Car Texture Pack.
Empirical testing was conducted on a test bench (RTX 3060 12GB, 1440p resolution, Ultra settings).
| Aspect | Base Game | High Res Pack | Perceptible Difference | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Decal legibility | Pixelated edges on close-ups | Crisp, readable logos | High | | Carbon fiber weave | Blurred repeating pattern | Distinct individual fibers | Very High | | Cockpit gauges | Blurry numerals | Sharp, readable telemetry | Medium (only in cockpit view) | | Reflections (Real-time) | No change | No direct change | None (cube-map dependent) | | Performance Cost | 100% baseline | ~ 85% FPS (due to VRAM bandwidth) | Noticeable on lower-end 4GB cards |
Unlike modern DLC, this texture pack does not auto-download in most storefronts.
