Game mechanics
How it plays.
Every system Rockstar has shown, explained: the duo, the police, combat, cars, your look and your money. Each point is labeled by where it comes from.
The duo
Jason & Lucia
Two protagonists, one story. When an easy score goes wrong, they're forced to rely on each other more than ever.
- Confirmed
Jason grew up around grifters, did a stint in the Army, and now works for drug runners in the Keys. Lucia learned to fight as soon as she could walk, did time in the Leonida Penitentiary, and wants only smart moves from here.
- Reported
You can switch between them in the open world and in the middle of missions, where each can handle a different objective.
- Reported
Switching is near-instant when they're close; when they're far apart the camera sweeps across the map, faster than GTA V's.
- Reported
Their relationship grows through time spent together: exploring, shopping, salons, exercise and robberies. It doesn't progress by itself.
- Reported
They can call and text, meet up, travel together, hold hands and open doors for each other. Recaps disagree on the payoff: one says there's no gameplay bonus, another that neglect can affect some missions.
- Reported
A criminal profile tracks your behavior. It isn't a binary honor meter: mission violence counts differently from pointless chaos, and even disposing of trash properly is noticed.
- Reported
Safehouses work more like Red Dead Redemption 2's camps: the characters follow routines, interact with the property and get visitors. You can eat, drink and watch TV there.
- Reported
Small acts feed the criminal profile: petting a dog shows an angel icon and a chime, a sign that good and bad choices are tracked.
- Reported
The switch HUD shows both portraits joined by a heart. A prompt lets the pair hold hands at certain moments, and their fridge holds food that refills health and other gauges.
Police
Wanted level
The police hunt a description, not a dot on the map. What they know about you decides how hard they come.
- Reported
Crimes have to be witnessed by civilians or set off an alarm before police respond.
- Reported
Most recaps report a six-star wanted meter, up from GTA V's five. One recap says five stars; Rockstar hasn't said in writing.
- Reported
Hollow stars mean the police are searching but don't have a complete identification yet.
- Reported
Icons under the stars show what police know: your face, clothing, weapon and vehicle.
- Reported
Changing clothes or hair, wearing a mask or switching vehicles makes it harder for them to match you, and speeds up losing the heat.
- Reported
Police remember details of past crimes, and may already be waiting outside when you finish a robbery.
- Reported
Extra icons under the stars show what police know: CCTV footage, your clothes, a description, that you were seen as a couple, your vehicle, and that you are armed.
- Reported
Stars turn red when police have lost sight of your vehicle but you are still wanted. Switching from a car to a van made the vehicle icon disappear, and a mask kept some icons from showing.
Weapons
Combat
Weapons in GTA VI are confirmed by name, and combat looks tighter and more deliberate.
- Confirmed
Named so far: Jason's Girardi ES9 and Lucia's Klose K17 pistols, the Hawk & Little Morgan revolver, and a tropical Vintage Vice City weapon pattern.
- Reported
Each protagonist carries their own loadout and can pick up weapons from downed enemies.
- Reported
The weapon wheel returns, alongside a cover system with peek-and-shoot aiming.
- Reported
Slow-motion aiming highlights where to hit to kill or to just incapacitate; enemies can be disabled without killing them.
- Reported
Close-quarters fights use contextual prompts; Lucia was shown fighting with a stiletto heel.
- Reported
You can shoot from moving vehicles at pursuing cars and police, including from a helicopter.
- Reported
Car trunks store weapons and spare clothes; NPCs react when you openly carry a weapon.
- Reported
A purple focus meter with an eye icon slows time and marks targets: red points are kills, yellow points disarm. It is close to Red Dead Redemption 2's Dead Eye.
- Reported
The item wheel has a Masks category (including a face wrap), plus hats, outfits, eyewear and consumable healing items.
- Reported
Reloading is animated differently when you are carrying a bag, and Lucia was shown boxing in melee. Named in the footage: the Moreland 850 shotgun and the Duke 556 assault rifle.
- Reported
Bystanders may try to stop a robbery, for example by grabbing your weapon.
Driving
Vehicles
Cars are loot, getaways and a way of life. Every car has a security level and a resale value.
- Confirmed
Named so far: ’55 Vapid Stanier, ’95 Grotti Cheetah, Vapid Ganado, Dinka Enduro, Crest Kayak, Shitzu Squalo and ’67 Vapid Dominator Buggy, plus Rideout Customs and One-Eyed Willie's mod shops.
- Reported
Older cars open with a slim jim; luxury cars need a key cloner you unlock through progression. Smashing a window is faster but loud.
- Reported
Some cars carry trackers that make escapes harder, and damage lowers what a car is worth.
- Reported
You can own multiple vehicles; trunks hold weapons and spare outfits.
- Reported
Racing returns, on track and off: sports cars, dirt bikes, plus fanboats, jet skis and electric scooters to ride.
- Reported
Breaking into an older car uses a slim jim with a quick-time prompt, and the prompt also offers smashing the window. Working turn signals are shown, and highway signs say they are required in Leonida.
- Reported
Shooting out tyres can cause rollovers. Tow trucks, city tour buses, mobility and electric scooters, a jet ski, kayaks, airboats and the Lure Predator boat all appear.
Style & body
Appearance
What you wear and how you live shows on Jason and Lucia, and the police notice.
- Confirmed
Confirmed places to change your look: Stock 305 streetwear, Sara's Unisex Salon and Electric Fang Tattoo (50+ FAILE designs), all Ultimate Edition only.
- Reported
Different stores carry different clothes.
- Reported
Trim or shave at home; a full hairstyle change needs a barber or salon.
- Reported
Exercise builds muscle, food changes weight, skipping sleep leaves visible signs, and multi-day drinking shows on faces and bodies.
- Reported
Changing clothes helps you escape the police.
Economy
Money & crime
Cash drives the story, and how you earn it is up to you.
- Reported
The story may require you to raise certain amounts before it moves on.
- Reported
Main cash sources: stealing and selling cars, robbing stores and bank jobs, plus protection work and deliveries.
- Reported
Robberies have trade-offs: blowing a safe is fast but damages valuables; finding the combination pays more.
- Reported
Fences take stolen goods, and different contacts deal in different things.
- Confirmed
Ultimate Edition: the Paradise Garage in Watson Bay has a secure drop for stolen goods to be fenced.
- Reported
Smaller robberies shown: a waffle house, a food mart and a jewelry store. The HUD shows two money figures, likely cash on hand and bank balance.
Phone
Apps
Leonida runs on social media, and so does your phone.
- Reported
WAINK scans parked cars: value, registration cost, lock status, and whether there's an alarm or tracker.
- Reported
Ryde Me is a ride-hailing app.
- Reported
Snapmatic returns, but Jason and Lucia don't post publicly: it would leave a digital trail.
Leonida
World & people
Six regions, from Vice City's neon to Mount Kalaga's backwoods, full of people who react to you.
- Confirmed
Six regions: Vice City, the Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and Mount Kalaga.
- Confirmed
Vice City spans Ocean Beach, Little Cuba, the Tisha-Wocka flea market and the VC Port, “the cruise ship capital of the world”.
- Reported
Vice City is around twice the size of Los Santos, and the whole map about three times RDR2's playable area.
- Reported
Contextual interactions: greet or taunt with your weapon holstered, defuse or provoke tense moments, and pet, scold or study animals. Wildlife you study is tracked.
- Reported
NPCs follow daily routines and confront you if you follow or eavesdrop on them too long.
- Confirmed
Activities shown by Rockstar: scuba diving and boat parties in the Keys, hunting, fishing, kayaking and off-road trails in Mount Kalaga, airboats in the Grassrivers.
- Reported
The minimap has a 3D view with buildings drawn along the streets.
- Reported
Side activities shown: backyard wrestling, basketball, scuba diving with an oxygen meter, gym workouts, GT circuit racing with 16 cars, a 12-vehicle off-road race mixing bikes, ATVs and trucks, base jumping, street racing with underglow, and a gun training facility.
- Reported
TV and ads shown include a Spanish-language network, Megamundo, with ads for Angstipan and a new burger chain, Chacey's.
Story
People & places
Faces and spots spotted in the Extended Look. IGN's reading of the footage, so names and roles may change.
- Reported
Jason and Lucia pick up drugs for Boobie Ike, which suggests he gives jobs.
- Reported
At a rooftop bar they meet Brian and Lori Heder, a married pair who have known Jason a long time. Brian is a drug smuggler.
- Reported
They collect Raul Bautista, shown as a bank-robbing mastermind, and later fight alongside Jason in a shootout.
- Reported
One mission has them guarding Andrés de León, a media figure targeted by gunmen at a Megamundo party.
- Reported
Places shown: the Effluvia rooftop bar, Starfish Island, a beach that may be Vice Point, Ocean Beach or Washington Beach, a cruise ship offshore, and a club sign reading Cortez.
Still unknown
Not shown yet
These get filled in after launch, once they've been checked in the game.
Screenshots: Rockstar Games
- Exact wanted-star count in writing from Rockstar
- Vehicle and weapon stats and prices
- How properties and businesses work
- Mission count and chapter structure
- Whether police vehicles can be stolen