GTA 6 gameplay features: every new system Rockstar has described

Grand Theft Auto VI puts you in control of two criminals, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, and lets you switch between them at almost any time. Rockstar developers have described a long list of new systems for GTA 6, from an optional relationship and a profile that tracks what kind of criminal you are to police who remember your outfit, a Focus mode, hurricanes, more than 170 animal species and a phone app for sizing up cars to steal.

Rockstar's own site and Newswire confirm that GTA 6 is a single-player experience and describe a few systems, such as garages, customization shops and the radio. Most of the detail comes from the press. IGN visited Rockstar North for a hands-off preview and interviewed Rob Nelson, head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North; that coverage ran Aug. 27, the day Rockstar released An Extended Look, a 26-minute video captured from in-game footage on PlayStation 5. The New York Times reported on the game the same day, Game Informer's cover story followed on Sept. 29, and IGN published the full transcript of its Nelson interview on Oct. 7. Below, each detail is credited to the person and outlet it came from. GTA 6 launches Nov. 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and our countdown shows how long is left. For a running list of what is and is not confirmed, see our confirmed-facts ledger.

Every official video, including both trailers, is on our trailers page.

Switching between Jason and Lucia

IGN's preview says you can swap between Jason and Lucia at almost any point, or explore the world together. "We tried to keep this mechanic as open as possible," Nelson told IGN, though "there will obviously be times during the narrative where it's not possible." The character you aren't playing keeps busy: "He has his own routine where he'll go out and do his own thing," Nelson said of Jason.

The partner also helps out. In IGN's demo, Nelson switched to the passenger seat and let Jason drive, and he said the partner "can drive pretty well," so you can leave the wheel to them in a chase and shoot from behind. Your partner can suggest jobs too: driving past a police impound lot, Jason called it out as a job, a line Nelson said he "hadn't actually heard" before.

Nelson told IGN that after GTA V, the team debated adding more lead characters, down to asking whether the next game should have four, before choosing two people in a relationship. Rockstar's official bios set up the pair: Jason is an Army veteran working for drug runners in the Leonida Keys who wants an easier life, and Lucia is recently out of the Leonida Penitentiary and determined to make smart moves. Our characters guide covers the rest of the cast.

The relationship is optional

Jason and Lucia's relationship grows through the time you spend together, and you can leave it alone. Nelson told IGN: "It's not something that we want to foist upon players." He listed everyday activities that build it, such as playing pool, mini golf and kayaking, along with robbing stores or banks as a pair and small gestures like holding hands (hold R2 in the demo) and holding doors. You can text or call the other character at any time, and ignoring their texts "may impact your relationship a bit," he said.

The two stay partners in crime whether or not you invest in the relationship. Asked whether a strong relationship gives a gameplay benefit, Nelson said: "Not a particular gameplay benefit that I can think of really." IGN's preview adds that you can't make them break up. But the story alone won't keep them close: Nelson warned that "playing missions together may not be enough to keep them together," and whether you nurtured the relationship will affect how their story plays out.

Choices matter beyond the relationship. "There are lots of choices, big and small," Nelson told IGN, and "the small ones add up to mean something." Game Informer's cover story, as reported by IGN, says the same about both the relationship and the wider story. Lucia's ankle monitor also matters: "The ankle tag is part of the narrative," Nelson said. The rest of what he said is on its library page, behind your spoiler setting.

The Criminal Profile

Separate from the relationship, GTA 6 keeps track of what kind of criminal you are. Nelson told IGN that this Criminal Profile shifts when you consistently go beyond what is necessary, and that there is no right or wrong way to play. IGN's example: escalating a fight you could have walked away from. During the preview, IGN saw that throwing away trash seemed to help, and Nelson said feeding animals is another option.

Rockstar has not named the profile's categories. Labels such as "Professional" and "Psycho" that circulate online come from a content creator's report, not from Rockstar.

Police and the wanted system

A crime only draws the police if someone witnesses it or it sets off an alarm, Nelson told IGN. Once officers are looking for you, they track your vehicle, your description, what you are wearing and whether you are together as a couple. Your wanted level is tied to the area: on the map, Nelson showed IGN that the place where he committed a crime still carried a star after he left.

That gives you ways out:

• Hollow stars. When the wanted stars are hollow outlines, the police don't know who you are. "That's what those hollow white stars mean," Nelson said.
• Change your clothes, not just your hair. Changing your hair changes how you look, Nelson said, but "the police will still know what you are wearing." Buying and wearing a new outfit "will remove any heat that I have," he said in a clothing store.
• Split up or switch cars. Splitting Jason and Lucia up, or getting into a car the police haven't seen, lowers their read on you, Nelson said.
• Go on foot in the city. "One star is not going to be too difficult to get away from," Nelson said, but at three stars in the city a car only helps if it is very fast or a sports bike. Getting off the streets and into the alleys on foot is usually the better move.

If either of the pair is arrested, it's "Busted" and a respawn, as in earlier games, Nelson told IGN. During one escape he also mentioned "Adrenaline," which he said helps you get away, without explaining it further.

Focus mode

GTA 6 has a mode called Focus. Nelson used it in IGN's demo to make a nearby police officer glow, and described it as "very similar to 'Eagle Eye' in Red Dead Redemption 2." He said you can use it to "help you locate things that you want to find on the map," and "certainly cops."

Robberies and money

"You can rob pretty much anything," Nelson told IGN, pointing to a store that sells headphones as an example. He called the places you can hit "robbery targets that you can go and use to make money," and you can rob them as Jason and Lucia together or on your own. In the demo he found a safe's combination rather than use an explosive, which he said "would damage some of the take." Police then started gathering out front, but the store had a back door. Game Informer's cover story, as reported by IGN, adds that robberies can be loud or quiet and that how far things escalate sets the police response.

Money matters more this time. "We have made money matter more in this story," Nelson said, explaining that at times you'll need to make money "to advance the mission flow." Besides robberies, he listed gang compounds to hit and car fences to steal cars for.

Rockstar's official synopsis says Jason and Lucia are drawn into a criminal conspiracy when an easy score goes wrong, and one of the eight characters on Rockstar's site, Raul Bautista, is a veteran bank robber who recruits crews.

Stealing cars: tiers, tools and the phone scanner

Not every car is equally easy to take. Nelson told IGN that vehicles now come in tiers, and some parked cars need tools you unlock as the story goes on. One car might need a key cloner, he said, while another needs only a Slim Jim. You can always carjack any driver you see. Nelson also said the narrower streets and dense traffic make driving harder.

Your phone helps you pick a target. Nelson showed IGN a scanner on the phone that shows a car's locks, alarm and tracker, what it is worth at a Pay n' Spray or a specialty car fence, and what it would cost to register it for yourself. IGN names the app WAiNK. Car fences also give out jobs: in the demo, a fence wanted a car from a police impound lot and gave Jason and Lucia the code to get in. Bring a car back damaged and the fence pays less, Nelson said, so you can repair it first. Some cars carry an advanced tracker, and "if I drive slow, it pings and the police will know where I am," he said. Fences buy stolen goods too; in the demo Nelson had jewelry to sell. For the vehicles Rockstar has named so far, see our vehicles database.

NPCs and the world

Nelson told IGN that the people of Leonida notice you: stand too close to a group and they should realize you are eavesdropping. Some may be armed or aggressive, and Nelson said the player is no longer all-powerful. IGN's preview says that with your gun holstered, L2 lets you talk to or taunt people, as in Red Dead Redemption 2. In the demo, aiming a gun at someone was enough: Nelson said it "defused the situation, and they all ran." You can also knock people out or "just incapacitate them" instead of killing them, he said. VICE's summary of IGN's coverage adds that hitting someone's weapon can knock it out of their hands and that some kills play out in slow motion, as in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Rockstar has put a lot of work into those people. IGN, in its Nelson interview, and The New York Times, quoting Aaron Garbut, co-studio head at Rockstar North, both report that Rockstar set up a team in Los Angeles dedicated to NPC dialogue and characters. Rockstar told the Times the game has over 600,000 animations, compared with 55,000 in GTA V and 300,000 in Red Dead Redemption 2, and Garbut said the team art-directed each one, as reported by TechRadar and GamesRadar+. Nelson told IGN that NPCs vary more in height and body shape than ever, and a Game Informer caption says the same about body types and physical features. Leonida's airwaves are busier too: "There are more radio and in-game TV ads than ever before," Nelson said.

The world is built differently as well. Nelson told IGN the streets are narrower and more realistic in scale, and called Leonida a very big map. Garbut told Game Informer the map is roughly twice the size of GTA V's, according to IGN's and KitGuru's reports of the story. Our Leonida map guide covers the six regions.

Character stats: eating and gyms

Jason and Lucia's bodies respond to how you play. "Eating has quite a dramatic effect on your health," Nelson told IGN, and "you'll gain quite a substantial buff." Overeat and they put on weight. There are gyms where you can work out to raise muscle and strength, and if Jason and Lucia go together, both train, so "you can get a 2-for-1 to manage their stats," he said.

In its preview, IGN saw on-screen stats for height, weight, sleep, nutrition, calories, muscle, fat and strength. That list is IGN's observation of the build it was shown, not a Rockstar statement, so the exact stats are not confirmed.

Safehouses, garages and customization

Nelson told IGN that safehouses are more interactive than before, probably closer to the camps in Red Dead Redemption 2 than to the safehouses of earlier GTA games. At a safehouse you can cut your hair shorter or shave, but "if you want new hairstyles you have to go to a hair salon or barber," he said. Salons and clothing stores carry standard items plus some found only at that location, to reward exploring. You can call your personal vehicle at any time: it carries changes of clothes in the trunk, and "all your weapons that you've purchased" are always available in the back, Nelson said.

Rockstar's descriptions of two garages show what they are for. The Shore Court garage near Ocean Beach, part of the Vintage Vice City Pack pre-order bonus, comes with a weapon locker and a place to stash stolen goods for fencing. Rockstar describes Paradise Garage in Watson Bay, where the Ultimate Edition's Dominator Buggy is kept, as somewhere secure to leave stolen goods for fencing.

Rockstar's Ultimate Edition descriptions also name mod shops, a tattoo parlor, a salon for hair, facial hair, makeup and nails, and a clothing store. Those specific shops are Ultimate Edition exclusives; our price and editions guide lists them. Michael Kane, Rockstar's VP of dynamic art, told Game Informer the team created its biggest range of garments and accessories yet, according to IGN.

Weather, tropical storms and hurricanes

Leonida gets tropical storms and hurricanes, Game Informer reports. Rockstar did not say how often they happen or how they affect gameplay or the story.

Owen Shepherd, Rockstar's VP of art for lighting and rendering, told Game Informer that Rockstar rebuilt its weather system so conditions are far more localized and persistent, with dynamic clouds, as reported by IGN and Kotaku. According to Game Informer, you can stand in sunshine and watch rain in the distance, puddles stay after a shower, and rainbows appear when the light is right. Shepherd also described the wind, per Kotaku: offshore breezes after sunset, updrafts, wind blocked by buildings, ripples across the water and swamp grass that bends.

Wildlife: over 170 species

Game Informer reports that Leonida has over 170 animal species across land, air and sea. Named examples include flamingos, manatees, pelicans, alligators, green iguanas, cane toads, feral cats and rhesus macaque monkeys. Kotaku and VICE report that the count includes over 60 types of birds and more than 30 land mammals, and that Leonida's waters hold sharks, whales, rays, turtles and jellyfish. IGN, reporting the same story, says you can meet the sea life while scuba diving.

Certain animals are categorized as Rare, Discoverable or Legendary, according to Game Informer. Rockstar has not revealed which animals are Legendary. You can also study animals "as a collection sort of thing," Nelson told IGN, an idea brought over from Red Dead Redemption 2. In IGN's demo, petting a dog brought up an option to study it. Game Informer also describes new hair and fur systems, varied feather types, and effects such as iridescence, bioluminescence and translucency. Kane told Game Informer, per IGN, that Rockstar wanted to faithfully include Florida's diverse animal ecosystem.

Rockstar's own region pages point to where the wildlife is. Grassrivers is home to gators and deadlier predators, and Mount Kalaga offers hunting, fishing and off-road trails.

Side activities

Game Informer's cover story names these activities, according to IGN:

• Base jumping
• Billiards
• Gyms
• Kayaking
• Mini golf
• Scuba diving
• Street and off-road racing
• Zoos
• Air boating
• Jet skiing

Nelson's own list of things that count as quality time for Jason and Lucia overlaps: robbing places together, holding hands, going to a zoo, studying animals, scuba diving, parachuting, walking on the beach and kayaking. Rockstar's own site adds hunting, fishing and off-road trails in Mount Kalaga, and describes the Ultimate Edition's Shitzu Squalo boat as a way to go fishing in Gambit Bay.

Social media and ride-share fast travel

GTA 6 has fast travel by ride-share. In IGN's demo, Jason and Lucia rode to a robbery in a ride-share car, and Nelson said you can "ride all the way with this passenger and chat with them," calling it "a good way to do fast travel." Game Informer's cover story describes the same thing, according to IGN. IGN's transcript calls the app Ryde Me in its own description of the demo; Rockstar has not named it in its own text.

Your phone is part of the world: VICE's summary of IGN's coverage says pulling it out brings the camera closer to the phone in your character's hand. On it is Snapmatic, the in-game social app. "You have people that you follow and you can also just browse it," Nelson told IGN. Asked whether you can post, he said no, "because you're a couple on the run. You just lurk."

Radio, podcasts and headphones

GTA 6 has the biggest and widest-ranging selection of in-game radio in the series, Rockstar says, and for the first time on-demand podcasts. Radio and podcasts play in vehicles and on foot, through new headphones and earbuds connected to Jason's and Lucia's phones. Rockstar named six stations on Oct. 8; our radio stations guide has them all, with the songs in Rockstar's previews.

How long is GTA 6?

Rockstar has not given an official length. Nelson told The New York Times his own playthrough took about 80 hours, including the main story and some optional goals with narrative consequences, as reported by TechRadar. That is one developer's playthrough, not an official completion time.

Rockstar's Ultimate Edition text says new items are uncovered behind each chapter, so the story is split into chapters. According to IGN's report of the Game Informer story, the campaign is designed to move you around the map. Some missions leave room to improvise: Nelson told IGN that "there are multiple routes out of that tower block" in the first mission shown in An Extended Look. He also expects people to play it more than once: "I believe that GTA 6 is built for that as well."

Not confirmed yet

Several features people expect have not been confirmed by Rockstar or by a named developer:

• Frame rate. Rockstar has not announced 30 or 60 frames per second. Headlines saying Rockstar "confirms 30fps" trace to a YouTuber's secondhand account.
• Photo mode and first-person mode. Not announced.
• Fuel and police hidden from the minimap. These come from content creators, not Rockstar.
• Criminal Profile category names and the ride-share app's name. Rockstar hasn't stated either; the name Ryde Me comes from IGN's description of the demo.
• Online mode and PC. GTA 6 launches as a single-player game on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. See Does GTA 6 have online? and Is GTA 6 on PC?

The full list is on our not-confirmed ledger, and our "Is it true?" page rules on the claims going around. Our story on IGN's full Rob Nelson interview covers its other details.

Update log

• Oct. 8, 2026: The bird, mammal and sea-life details now cite Kotaku and VICE. We removed a detail about meeting sea life while scuba diving, which we could only find in a report we couldn't open.
• Oct. 8, 2026: Added details from IGN's full Rob Nelson interview, published Oct. 7, and Rockstar's Oct. 8 radio post. Focus mode moved from "not confirmed" to confirmed, because Nelson showed it to IGN. Several details we had credited to IGN's reporting are now quoted from Nelson himself, and the scuba-diving detail is back, sourced to IGN's report of Game Informer's story.