Stealing cars in Grand Theft Auto VI won’t be as simple as jumping in and driving off, according to a new preview from IGN. The outlet got a closer look at the mechanic days after Netflix aired an extended segment on the game covering its story setup and character relationships. The IGN article, however, highlights something more fundamental, namely how Rockstar revamped the action that gave the series its name.
Rockstar has added “layers of stratification” to vehicle theft, co-studio head Rob Nelson told IGN. The old system let players hotwire any car instantly. Now, some parked vehicles stay locked until players progress the story and acquire specific tools. Carjacking a driver remains available from the start.
IGN reports that these changes are to make every vehicle feel like it matters and to introduce variety into how players go about acquiring one. Cars with electronic key fobs, for example, may require a key cloner to break into, while ones equipped with GPS tracking could require players to stay under a certain speed to avoid being caught. An in-game app is also said to be included, letting players check what tools are needed for a given vehicle and how much it’s worth.
In addition, according to the account @SynthPotato on X, here are some general depictions of GTA 6 that are said to have seen gameplay previews at Rockstar North.
- Rockstar says the scale of the game is unlike anything they have made before.
- The map is twice as big as GTA 5’s and three times bigger than Red Dead 2’s map.
- GTA 6 does away entirely with the auto-aim system, now using a manual aiming system with aim-assist.
- Vice City itself is reportedly twice the size of Los Santos.
- The biggest difference compared with GTA 5 is that GTA 6 constantly forces the player to make decisions and consider consequences rather than simply causing chaos without much thought.
- Actions apparently carry significantly more consequences than they did in previous GTA games.
- Rob Nelson reportedly explained that even something as basic as stealing a vehicle now involves assessing risk: carjacking someone may lead to witnesses/police trouble, while stealing an unattended parked vehicle might let you escape cleanly.
- Rockstar’s intention appears to be to make the player think more like an actual criminal, rather than treating crime as consequence-free sandbox chaos.
- Criminal Profile system, NOT honor: Rockstar reportedly stresses that having a low Criminal Profile does not necessarily mean you’re playing incorrectly. Instead, the system seems to evaluate how you behave as a criminal.
- Robbing a store successfully without killing anybody and escaping cleanly can raise your Criminal Profile because you committed the crime professionally, while excessive violence lowers it.
- There apparently isn’t a traditional Criminal Profile meter constantly displayed on-screen. Instead, Jason and Lucia have profile information accessible through a dedicated menu tab.
- Your criminal profile can be permanently ruined after specific actions.
- Jason & Lucia have a relationship bar that can be influenced by how they treat each other through your own actions, like texting each other things or going out on dates.
- Focus ability, which was seen in the gameplay preview, is the third major stat. Similar to Dead Eye, it slows down time for both Jason and Lucia plus highlights valuable components of vehicles and enemy weak points. Focus is GTA 6’s third major character ability/stat. It is somewhat similar to Dead Eye and Michael’s GTA V special ability, but reportedly works differently.
- Cars do require fuel, and electric cars require charging. Rockstar designed these to not be tedious.
- Cash you are carrying can be lost after being arrested or dying and has to be stashed or put into an ATM; you cannot just use the phone for this.
- Fences can be visited to sell off loot from robberies, similar to Red Dead 2’s fences.
- Driving is reportedly heavier and less arcade-like than GTA V, feeling more like a midpoint between GTA 4 and 5.
- Police no longer appear directly on the minimap, and you have to use your own eyes to avoid them.
- At six stars, police search across the entire map for you rather than designated search areas.
- Police are reportedly considerably smarter than GTA V. Officers can intentionally shoot your vehicle’s tires.
- Police can remember your appearance, car, and clothes. You may have to change these in order to lose your wanted level.
- There are trackers on vehicles that need to be removed through progression with fences, or use older cars that don’t have trackers.
- GTA 6 reportedly contains a full in-game social media system, and NPCs post content to the social network; it is part of the living world, and you can see events on there, then go and visit them in person.
- Gyms are back from GTA San Andreas; you now have to purchase a subscription and can train for muscles. You can even buy protein shakes to boost that before workouts.
- Buses and Taxis can be used for fast travel.
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