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GTA 6 gameplay: Key details that you might have missed
The wanted system, car theft with app support and heists that play out differently every time. Here’s an overview of all the key GTA 6 gameplay mechanics.
GTA 6 is almost here, and Rockstar Games has finally revealed more about the highly anticipated open-world game thanks to the first gameplay footage shown in the Extended Look. Alongside the footage, numerous preview sessions at Rockstar North have offered a clearer picture of what to expect: Grand Theft Auto VI won’t simply be an upgraded version of GTA 5, but a much deeper and more detailed game. Here are the key gameplay mechanics you might have missed.
01
Cars in GTA 6: Steal, scan and drive
Vehicles play a much bigger role in GTA 6 than in previous instalments, with the game even showing signs of developing into a fully fledged arcade racer. Jason and Lucia can each own multiple personal cars, complete with fully functional boots that can be used to store weapons, clothing and other items. The boots can also be used to hide – or even transport – people.
GTA 6 will have a vehicle for every occasion
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two
Before you steal a car, though, it’s worth checking your mobile. Using the Waink app, you can apparently scan vehicles and see their security level, the tools required to steal the car, tracker level, registration costs, and even the resale value at a glance. An old car can usually be hot-wired quite easily, whereas expensive models require special tools such as a key duplicator. You unlock this tool by completing jobs for various fence operators.
You can also hijack occupied vehicles. Sure, we’ve seen this in previous instalments, but to do so, you trigger a quick-time event to pull the driver out. Passengers sometimes put up a fight and try to drag you out of their vehicle again. You can also open parked cars by smashing the window or with a lock pick. However, you need to be careful as smashing a window can set off the alarm and alert the police.
GTA 6 is set to feature circuit racing – a first for the franchise
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two
It now appears you can register stolen road vehicles as personal cars in GTA 6 for a fee, although high-end models cannot be registered until later in the game. In the meantime, you can store stolen vehicles safely in a garage, which can be purchased to expand your personal fleet.
Pay 'n' Sprays also return and they not only repair your car, but also remove the vehicle's wanted level. There's also a brand new feature as GTA 6 features a fuel system where you can run out of petrol. You can refuel at petrol stations by holding down the R2 or RT button for around ten seconds. What’s more, petrol stations also repair damaged vehicles.
Jason is locked and loaded
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two
According to Rockstar, the driving physics have been rebuilt from scratch for GTA 6. The aim is to combine the weight and feel of GTA 4 with the accessibility of GTA 5. Each vehicle handles differently depending on its drivetrain, tyres, suspension and steering, giving cars a more distinct character.
Powerful rear-wheel-drive cars require a more delicate touch on the accelerator, while supercars become significantly harder to control off-road. The roads in Vice City are also narrower and traffic is denser than in GTA 5, making high-speed driving more challenging. The game also introduces e-scooters, adding another new option for getting around the city.
02
Robberies get a major upgrade
Robberies in GTA 6 are more varied and flexible than before. You can attempt to rob almost any shop you enter, from small petrol stations and convenience stores to jewellery shops, banks and criminal compounds. Armoured vans also offer smaller scores, while larger targets can appear on the map with an estimated payout, allowing you to weigh up the potential reward against the risk.
Lucia and Jason don’t hold back
© Rockstar Games
Every shop behaves differently. Entrances, CCTV cameras, safe locations, staff and customers vary from one location to another, meaning no robbery plays out exactly the same way. Staff, security guards and even customers can fight back, while safe codes can either be found on the spot or obtained from a fence.
Even the smallest robbery requires more interaction than before. When emptying the till at a petrol station, for example, the cash doesn’t simply disappear with the press of a button – you have to bag it up, one note at a time at the till.
Planning your escape is crucial. Many buildings have multiple exits, so you don’t necessarily have to run straight into the waiting police. Missions also support different routes and escape paths. The police may also set up a perimeter around a shop you’ve just robbed, in case you return.
Heists can be carried out either on your own or together with Jason or Lucia. You’ll discover new targets through story characters, clues from NPCs or simply by exploring the world. To turn your loot into cash, you’ll need the right fence who specialises in specific categories of goods, such as cars or jewellery. As these contacts are only unlocked as the story progresses, you may find yourself in possession of valuable loot before you can even sell it.
In the world of GTA, crime pays
© Rockstar Gamers
The money system has also been revamped. There are three types of money: bank balance, cash and loot carried in duffel bags. Money in your bank account is safe and can be managed through the BuckMe app, while cash can be lost if you’re ‘Wasted’ or ‘Busted’ – in other words, if you die or are arrested. That makes it worth depositing cash regularly at an ATM.
Loot carried in duffel bags can only be spent after it has been sold to a fence. Rockstar’s aim is to make money more meaningful throughout the game, rather than letting it become irrelevant after a few hours, as could happen in GTA 5. At certain points in the story, you’ll even need to have a specific amount of money to progress, giving you more reason to pursue activities outside the main storyline.
03
The police and wanted system in GTA 6
There have been quite a few changes to the wanted system
© Rockstar Games
Let’s not kid ourselves: sooner or later, you’ll come into conflict with the law in GTA 6. The wanted system is one of the game’s biggest new features. Committing a crime no longer automatically triggers a wanted level. The police will only be alerted if someone spots you, an alarm is triggered or a tracker on a stolen car is activated.
Once alerted, the police will head to the scene and begin searching the area. Crucially, the search zone can remain active even after you’ve left, meaning you may need to keep a low profile until the police eventually call off the search.
Another new feature is the Heat system, which runs alongside the classic wanted stars and tracks exactly what the police know about Jason and Lucia. The display shows whether CCTV footage exists, whether your appearance and clothing have been identified, if the police know what weapons you’re carrying, and whether your getaway vehicle has been identified.
You can take steps to eliminate each of these clues – for example, by destroying CCTV footage, changing your clothes, hiding your weapons, switching vehicles or splitting up with your partner. In some situations, splitting up during an escape can even remove an entire wanted star.
GTA 6 features a new Heat system
© Rockstar Games
The colour of the stars now matter too:
- Solid white stars indicate direct visual contact with the police
- Flashing white stars indicate that you have just lost visual contact
- Hollow stars represent a reported crime with no description of the perpetrator
- Red stars mean that, although you’ve escaped the police, you’re still within the active search area
However, be warned: at the highest alert level, the police search the entire map rather than a limited area. If they know your hairstyle, a visit to the hairdresser could help throw them off. If they know what you’re wearing, you’ll need to change clothes. Wearing a mask, meanwhile, prevents CCTV footage from providing the police with a usable description of you in the first place.
Expect more advanced police AI in GTA VI
© Rockstar Games
And yes, the six-star wanted level from the older GTA games is back. Even three stars are said to be surprisingly difficult to shake off in Vice City without a fast getaway vehicle. What exactly happens at six stars has not yet been officially confirmed.
04
No-holds-barred combat
There have also been some changes to the gunplay. The classic auto-aim is no longer active by default. Instead, GTA 6 features a more flexible aiming system that can be customised to suit your preferences. The Focus ability slows down time and highlights enemy weak points, allowing you to target specific parts of an opponent – a system reminiscent of Max Payne.
The city is yours. Just beware the law
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two
This also ties into the new Criminal Profile system. Rockstar emphasises that this isn’t a simple good-versus-evil system like the Honour system in Red Dead Redemption 2. Instead, it assesses how you commit crimes. A carefully planned heist without unnecessary casualties will be judged differently from a robbery that descends into chaos.
The familiar tiers range from ‘Professional’ through ‘Aggressive’ and ‘Violent’ to ‘Psycho’, although there is apparently another tier beyond these. Reaching that level can make the resulting changes irreversible for the rest of your playthrough. Jason and Lucia have separate profiles, meaning your choices can shape them into very different types of criminals – one a calculated professional, the other a violent loose cannon.
When it comes to carrying weapons, you can have two handguns and two long guns equipped at any time, although only one long gun can be carried on your back. The other must be held visibly, which affects how NPCs react to you. A weapon carried on your back is generally tolerated, while openly carrying a ready-to-fire weapon causes fear and attracts attention.
Weapons also have greater weight and recoil, making sustained, accurate fire much harder than in GTA 5. The days of effortlessly spraying bullets with pinpoint accuracy appear to be over.
05
The relationship between Jason and Lucia
It’s up to you to decide whether Lucia and Jason will become a couple
© Rockstar Games
A key new system centres on the relationship between the two main characters. Jason and Lucia live together, but how close they become is largely up to you. Spending time together – whether driving around Leonida, shopping, working out at the gym or visiting the hairdresser – can strengthen their bond. Even small gestures, such as holding hands or opening doors for each other, can have an impact. On the other hand, regularly ignoring messages from your partner can put a strain on the relationship.
However, a bad relationship doesn’t simply bring the story to an end. Jason and Lucia still have to work together, although certain missions and situations may change depending on how close or distant you are. According to Rockstar, there are no direct in-game bonuses for a happy relationship; the system is intended more as a role-playing mechanic.
Lucia and Jason enjoying the view of Vice City
© Rockstar Games
You can switch between the two characters at any time in the open world, though some story sections temporarily prevent this. If you’re out on your own, you can ring or text your partner to arrange to meet up. You can even swap roles whilst driving, so that during a car chase, for example, you can shoot from the passenger seat whilst your partner drives.
Looking for more info on GTA 6? We've got you covered
06
Open-world activities in GTA 6
Room to breathe on the state’s northern fringes
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two
Leonida is said to be significantly denser than previous GTA worlds. Rockstar has not yet officially revealed the map’s size in square kilometres, but comparisons with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 have already been made. What we do know is that Vice City alone is reportedly twice the size of Los Santos, while Vice City and its surrounding countryside are around 11 times larger than the urban area of GTA 5.
The map itself is initially hidden and only becomes visible bit by bit as you explore. The story is divided into chapters, with Jason and Lucia changing their safehouses as the story progresses, similar to the camps in Red Dead Redemption 2. Both characters also follow their own daily routines: they get up, drink coffee, have a shower or watch TV, entirely without your intervention.
An in-game vacation might be just what you need
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two
There’s no shortage of open-world activities. Among those confirmed are:
- Basketball
- Kayaking
- Mini-golf
- Billiards
- Diving
- Skydiving
- Jet skiing
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Wrestling
- Shooting ranges
Gyms improve health, stamina and focus, but working out also has a visible effect on your character’s physique: regular training builds muscle, while overeating causes them to gain weight.
For getting around quickly, there are buses, trains, taxis and the RydeMe app – the GTA equivalent of Uber. If you stay in the vehicle during the journey, you can even have full conversations with other passengers. Social media is also fully integrated: via Snapmatic, you can follow accounts, scroll through content and see NPC events that you can travel to in real time.
Small details help bring the world to life: footprints remain in the sand, sand sticks to your shoes, sweat becomes visible after sprinting, and traffic patterns change depending on the time of day. Even interactions with dogs have their own nuances – owners and their pets can simply refuse to let you pet them.
Run from the cops, and the local wildlife
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two
If you want to play through GTA 6, you’d best set aside plenty of time. According to Rob Nelson, head of development at Rockstar North, a complete playthrough – including optional objectives – took around 80 hours. That should give you plenty to keep you busy well beyond the game’s November 2026 release.
07
Everything we know so far about GTA 6
- GTA 6 hub: all you need to know about the release date, characters and more
- GTA 6 wish list: the features fans want to see
- GTA 6 Extended Look: everything we learned from the new footage
- Every GTA 6 location ranked by how much fans want to play it
- Driveable vehicles: every GTA 6 plane, car, bike and helicopter revealed so far
- GTA protagonists: The definitive ranking
- Every side activity we spotted in Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2
- The 7 best games to play while we wait for GTA 6
- The road to GTA 6: all the mainline games ranked
- From the city to the swamp: a closer look at Grand Theft Auto VI's map
- The 8 best missions in Grand Theft Auto history
- Racing in GTA 6: an overview of the different formats and features
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