GTA 6's driving and car-jacking will be "more challenging", Rockstar says, amid a seemingly big push for realism
Two of the Grand Theft Auto series' most prominent, interweaving systems - stealing cars and driving them - are set to get a major change in Grand Theft Auto 6 , as developer Rockstar has said the pick-up-and-play systems are now going to be "more challenging" than they've been before.
The news comes via an interview Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson held with IGN , published alongside GTA 6's big Netflix reveal showcase this evening.
"The streets in this game are narrower and more realistic in terms of scale. Which, in addition to all the density of the traffic on the roads, makes driving slightly more challenging and requires a bit of skill," Nelson said.
IGN's preview then noted that "not only is the driving tougher, even just stealing the car has evolved to be a more nuanced process too," before caveating that it's still "the automobile acquisition thrill that we know and love."
Nelson continued: "We have put some layers of stratification into the vehicles... Previously, you could just press triangle to automatically hotwire and steal any vehicle that you wanted and take off. We felt like that left a lot of potential gameplay on the table in terms of progression and decision-making for players. So now, you start off the game and there are certain parked cars that are not accessible to you until you get a bit further along with the story and you acquire certain tools to get into them, but you can always carjack any driver you see."
"We have put some layers of stratification into the vehicles," Nelson also added in a separate interview article with IGN. "Previously, you could just press triangle to automatically hotwire and steal any vehicle that you wanted and take off. We felt like that left a lot of potential gameplay on the table in terms of progression and decision-making for players."
Now, instead, "you start off the game and there are certain parked cars that are not accessible to you until you get a bit further along with the story and you acquire certain tools to get into them, but you can always carjack any driver you see", with Nelson adding: "I think it gives all the vehicles more meaning, and you need to pay attention to what you're doing a bit more."
IGN's coverage, based on an extended hands off different to the Netflix showcase seen behind closed doors, also described an "advanced GPS tracking system" that will be on high-end cars when you attempt to steal them, requiring you to drive especially fast to escape police attention by seemingly outrunning the tracker. Though it also notes: "The key to getting away won't always be a fast car, though; the busy roads of the more built-up areas of Leonida mean sometimes fleeing on foot will be the way to go."
Nelson also said something similar. "We put a lot of work into how you can navigate the world, trying to make everything as smooth as possible to really encourage this type of gameplay where you are running and getting out of the car, jumping and climbing fences. If you get three stars in the city, it can sometimes be challenging to get away in a vehicle, unless it's a very fast vehicle or a sports bike. Your best option is usually to do this-get off the streets and get on foot into the alleys."
That ties into GTA 6's revamped Wanted system and new Criminal Profile that's been revealed, too. There's also the ability to split up when running from the cops, which likewise seems to tally nicely with an apparently very important romance system in GTA 6.
Finally, regarding that carjacking process and the GPS scanners, there's a new scanner app on Jason and Lucia's phones - called, ahem, Waink - that per IGN, "will reveal if the car you're looking at is equipped with such technology, as well as how much cash you can make selling it or the cost of registering it for yourself". Scanning a car will reportedly reveal a series of facts about it that can help with your automotive theft.
"For example," Nelson said, "it tells me this car is locked, it's got an alarm, and has no tracker. It also tells me how much it's worth if I go to take it to a Pay n' Spray or a specialty car fence, and how much it would cost for me to register it for myself. So, for example, this car needs a key cloner. This other car will just need a Slim Jim. So we've added a lot of fun little tools you need or mechanics you need to perform these formerly binary actions."
All in all, it's a fascinating change that Rockstar has opted to make. GTA is many things to many people, but one of its central elements all these years has been the ability to play it casually, without a great deal of thought. Combined with the new role-playing like systems for your weight and health, the relationship mechanic, and the more elaborate Wanted and Criminal Profile systems, this seems like a shift towards the Red Dead Redemption 2 -style ultra realism that was perhaps a little more "Marmite" amongst players.
"I think we just have to try and make something that we feel is innovating on what we've done previously, evolving it while still making it feel familiar," Nelson said to IGN . Although he was also keen to offer some reassurance: "even though there are some new systems at play, it's still very much Grand Theft Auto".
I'm very much looking forward to seeing how it all plays. In the meantime though, Rockstar has been going through a series of challenges in the news, notably in a protracted legal battle here in the UK over alleged union-busting , regarding the firing of numerous UK employees, the choice to not sell GTA 6 on discs and to keep some in-game elements back for the Ultimate Edition only, and of course the numerous leaks that it's suffered over the past week or so .