GTA 6: Exciting New Details Revealed in Preview
Players will have to run not only from the police but also from their dogs.
Journalists from EDGE magazine visited Rockstar Games and witnessed a one-and-a-half-hour demonstration of Grand Theft Auto 6. The developers showcased the project and answered numerous questions.
The demonstration begins in the small apartment of Jason and Lucia, the main characters of GTA 6. They commit crimes together, and the nature of their romantic relationship largely depends on the player's choices.
Nelson controls Jason. Before heading outside, the character drinks a cup of coffee for stamina and a protein shake to restore health. After that, he leaves the apartment and steps onto the street.
According to the developers, the map of GTA 6 is approximately twice the size of the GTA 5 world. Rockstar claims that the total land area, including Vice City and surrounding regions, is nearly comparable to the combined areas of GTA 4, GTA 5, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
The main focus is on filling the game world. Aaron Garbut mentioned that the number of available interiors has increased significantly compared to previous studio games; even after years of work on the project, he continues to discover unfamiliar locations.
Interiors are designed with the lifestyles of their inhabitants in mind. Family photos hang on the walls, tables are cluttered with personal items, and the order or chaos in living rooms and kitchens reflects the specific residents. Architects, artists, and designers work on these spaces, making apartments and offices look very realistic.
Garbut recalled a recent incident during testing: he entered a previous house and saw numerous photos of a dog. The house was in disarray, with dog waste in the corner.
At that moment, Jason reacted interestingly. The developers created a special character response to unpleasant odors for a specific game episode, which was then expanded to the game as a whole; upon entering the room, the hero began to grimace in disgust.
Rockstar also paid special attention to pedestrian behavior. To work on the population of Leonida, the company formed a separate team of writers, directors, and producers, preparing around 600,000 animations.
Each NPC has individual behavioral traits. The character's reaction to the player's actions depends on temperament, aggressiveness, location, witnessed events, and previous interactions with the character.
The population of different districts varies in social composition, professions, and character. Some pedestrians prefer to avoid conflicts, while others may threaten the protagonist or draw a weapon.
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For example, during the demonstration, Jason encounters a man walking a dog on a leash. Nelson directs the camera at the passerby and makes the hero stare too long; the NPC takes an aggressive stance, unclips the leash, and lets the dog go. Jason runs away, and the dog chases him for a while before losing interest and returning to its owner.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the street, two police officers are detaining a suspect. Nelson approaches an unattended police vehicle, opens the trunk, takes a shotgun, and calmly walks away.
Significant changes have also affected the weather system. GTA 5 used relatively simple weather states: sunny, cloudy, rainy, and so on, while GTA 6 offers a much more complex atmospheric model.
Players can stand under bright sunlight and watch a storm on the horizon. Dark clouds appear in the distance, flashes of lightning, and sheets of rain; cloud movement is influenced by wind, humidity, fog, time of day, and other parameters.
Weather conditions change gradually. During rain, roads become wet, and after the downpour, water continues to run off buildings for some time; different surfaces dry at different rates.
Wind affects trees, clouds, and ocean waves; islands and structures protect certain areas of water from the wind, influencing the movement of boats along the coast. Weather conditions also matter for aviation: planes and helicopters experience wind and turbulence, and prolonged flight during a storm can damage the aircraft.
Changes have even affected familiar elements of the game world. In GTA 5, roads and highways were made wide to facilitate vehicle control and cornering. In GTA 6, developers narrowed them for realism—there aren't many wide roads in Miami and its surroundings.
The speed of in-game time has also changed: the duration of day and night has increased, and sunsets now last longer. Nelson explained that during early tests with time settings from GTA 5, events felt too fast, so they decided to stretch time.
According to the developers, increasing the realism of graphics requires corresponding changes in the behavior of the surrounding world. For example, in GTA 5, pedestrians could calmly react to the sudden appearance of large weapons in the character's hands and only began to panic after the player aimed at them.
For GTA 6, this behavior model seemed outdated to the developers: now pedestrians notice an armed person and assess the level of threat. If a shotgun is slung over Jason's back, bystanders may react relatively calmly, but a weapon in the hero's hands elicits a completely different response.
At the same time, the reaction depends on the presence of witnesses and the circumstances. The mere appearance of a weapon does not necessarily lead to police interest; the player can put it away or drop it before the situation escalates into a serious conflict.
During the demonstration, Nelson attempted to escape after a botched robbery on a stolen motorcycle with Lucia. In such situations, players can switch between characters: one takes control of the vehicle while the other can shoot at pursuers.
Meanwhile, police coordinated their actions via radio and set up spike strips on the road to force vehicles to stop. Spotting the obstacle proved difficult, so the motorcycle hit the spikes, the front tire burst, and Jason and Lucia flew over the handlebars.
Both characters got back on their feet and tried to run away, but a police dog quickly caught up with Jason and knocked him to the ground, while Lucia managed to escape.
Law enforcement won't be the only source of trouble for criminals: a robbed passerby can attack the player when they turn away, and a gas station visitor might try to stop an armed robber.
Additionally, random encounters occur in the game world. For instance, during one of the drives, Nelson was evading pursuit in an old station wagon when a purple-lit SUV appeared on the highway next to him.
The NPCs inside began to shout taunts, challenging Jason to a street race. Initially, the developer ignored the offer, but the passengers continued to provoke him, so Nelson eventually agreed.
However, he couldn't outrun the SUV. When the rivals predictably pulled ahead, one of the passengers leaned out the window, sat on the door frame, and continued to hurl insults at the unfortunate racer.
Besides crimes, chases, and shootouts, GTA 6 offers more peaceful activities. For example, the game features fully functional bus and train systems.
Phil Hooker admitted that during testing, he spends a lot of time at bus stops: checking schedules, boarding transport, and traveling around Leonida while observing the surroundings.
Garbut explained that GTA 6 can be viewed almost as a simulator of everyday life: characters will be able to buy cigarettes and beer in stores, spend time in clubs, use public transport, and engage in other routine activities. But shooting at any moment is, of course, still possible.
The release of Grand Theft Auto 6 is set for November 19.
