GTA 6 Gameplay: Every Confirmed System Explained

GTA 6 keeps the shape of a Grand Theft Auto game and changes almost every system inside it. Crime needs planning, the police have to work out who you are, and two leads share one story. This guide covers everything confirmed about how it plays, grouped by system.

On this page

1. Two leads, one story
2. Camera, HUD and first-person view
3. The wanted system
4. Robberies and money
5. Stealing cars
6. Combat and weapons
7. Driving and vehicles
8. The world
9. The people in it
10. Things to do
11. Looking after Jason and Lucia
12. The relationship and your Criminal Profile
13. Missions
14. Performance
15. What was cut, and what is not in the game
16. Does GTA 6 use AI?
17. GTA 6 gameplay FAQ
18. Sources

Where something comes from Rockstar’s own site or its official gameplay video, we say so. Where it comes from an interview or a press preview, it is marked as reported. We do not use leaked footage.

Two leads, one story

You play as both Jason and Lucia, and can switch between them much as in GTA V. The official gameplay video shows a switch in the middle of a mission.

Reported from Rockstar’s interviews:

• Switching takes a couple of seconds on a standard PS5.
• Some story missions lock you to one of them, and some switch for you.
• The one you are not playing follows their own daily routine.
• In a car, you can swap seats, so your partner drives while you shoot. This works in free roam as well as in missions.
• You can give your partner simple instructions.

Rockstar considered four playable characters and settled on two. There is no co-op mode. See GTA 6 online. Meet the cast on our GTA 6 characters page.

The switch itself is shown in detail on switching between Jason and Lucia.

Camera, HUD and first-person view

GTA 6 is played in third person. The HUD is new. Health, Focus, stamina and oxygen sit top left, with ammunition and wanted stars top right. Previews say the minimap can be hidden on foot, turned into a compass or set to show buildings in 3D, and that the whole HUD can be switched off.

First-person view is the open question. The official video shows it only through binoculars. One YouTuber who visited Rockstar says Rob Nelson told him there is no full first-person mode, only a first-person view when aiming certain weapons. Another says Nelson told him it had not been built yet. Rockstar has made no statement. The safe reading is that a full first-person mode is not there at launch.

A leaked video posted on October 8, 2026 reportedly shows first-person driving. It appears to come from a development build, so it does not settle the question. See what the new GTA 6 leak shows.

Aiming is free by default, with a weaker lock-on than GTA V that you can adjust.

The wanted system

This is the biggest change in the game.

Six stars. The official video shows six star slots. It is the first six-star wanted level in a main GTA game since GTA IV.

Police have to know it was you. A crime is reported only if somebody sees it, or an alarm, camera or tracker goes off. A hollow star means the police know about the crime but not about you.

The HUD shows what they know. Icons mark whether they have your face, your clothes, your vehicle, a camera recording, how many of you there are and whether you are armed.

No police dots on the minimap. A search area appears instead. Focus can help you spot officers.

Getting away is about changing the description. Reported options:

• Change your outfit. A hat or sunglasses alone is not enough, according to IGN.
• Change your hairstyle.
• Switch vehicles. Going back to a car they have identified is risky.
• Split up, which can drop a star.
• At three stars in the city, leave the car and use alleys unless you have something very fast.

Police will warn you over a drawn weapon before they escalate. They lock down crime scenes, can surround a building and wait, and can shoot out tyres. A police helicopter joins bigger chases.

If you are arrested, the “Busted” screen appears. If you die, you return nearby, not at a hospital, and the cash you were carrying is gone. Being arrested costs you that cash too. Previews disagree on where you return: one reported a hospital.

For the chase Rockstar has shown, see police chases.

The full explainer is in GTA 6 wanted level and police.

Robberies and money

Money matters more than in earlier games. Rob Nelson told IGN that at points the story waits until you have earned enough.

• Almost any shop can be robbed. Nelson’s words to IGN were that you can “rob pretty much anything”.
• Targets scale up. Convenience stores, jewellers, small banks and gang hideouts, each with tougher security.
• Sneak in or force it. You can go in the back with a lock-picking tool, break cameras and leave unseen. Kicking the door in sets off the alarm. Or blow the safe open, which damages some of what is inside.
• Marked money. Some stolen cash has to go to a fence before you can spend it.
• Two wallets. Jason and Lucia share a bank account. Cash in your pocket is separate, and is lost if you die or are arrested.

Other reported ways to earn: scuba diving for treasure and monster truck racing.

See what has been shown on store robberies.

The full guide is in GTA 6 money and robberies.

Stealing cars

The one-button hotwire is gone.

• Carjacking a driver always works.
• Parked cars may be locked. Some need a slim jim or a key cloner that you only get later in the story.
• Your phone scans cars. An app shows the lock, alarm and tracker, the tools needed, what a fence would pay and what it costs to register the car as yours.
• Trackers give away a slow-moving car.
• Pay ‘n’ Spray repairs and repaints, values a stolen car and registers it. Damage lowers the price.
• Garages. You start with room for three vehicles and can buy more garages.

The detail on all of this is in 40 details from Rockstar’s IGN interview.

Combat and weapons

A long gun on your back is fine, Rockstar’s Rob Nelson says, but people react when you hold one in your hand. Suppressing fire is new: shooting near enemies keeps them pinned.

On gore, the ratings give the outline. The ESRB lists Blood and Gore and Intense Violence. A description that PEGI published and then removed mentioned dismemberment. See GTA 6 age rating.

Every weapon confirmed, shown or rumored so far is in our GTA 6 weapons guide.

Driving and vehicles

Driving is reported to feel heavier than GTA V, on roads about 15 percent narrower and with thicker traffic. Rockstar’s handling team includes racing drivers.

• Fuel. Cars can run dry. The gauge appears when the tank is low. Electric cars recharge.
• Damage affects how a car drives and what it sells for.
• Getting around without driving. The Ryde Me app is fast travel, and buses and trains are reported to work the same way.

Shown in official footage: cars, motorbikes, dirt bikes, speedboats, an airboat, jet skis, kayaks and electric scooters. A seaplane and a crop duster appear in official screenshots. Nobody at Rockstar has said yet whether you can fly them.

Every vehicle Rockstar has named or shown so far is in our GTA 6 vehicles guide.

The world

Size. Rockstar’s Aaron Garbut told Game Informer it is the studio’s biggest map “by some degree”. Rockstar told The New York Times it is three times the playable area of Red Dead Redemption 2, and Rob Nelson said Vice City alone is twice the size of GTA V’s Los Santos. It is widely reported as about twice GTA V’s, but that has not been quoted from Rockstar. See GTA 6 map size.

Six regions. Vice City, the Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and Mount Kalaga. See the GTA 6 map.

Buildings. Nelson says you can enter a lot of them. No number is official. The figure of 700 that circulates came from a leaker in 2025, and referred to shops.

Weather. Game Informer reports local weather that differs across the map, with tropical storms and seasonal hurricanes. How often they come, and what they do to play, has not been said.

Wildlife. More than 170 species, including more than 60 kinds of bird, with sharks, whales, rays and turtles underwater. Some are rare or legendary. Animals can be studied without being killed. Every animal named so far, and where each was seen, is in GTA 6 animals.

Time of day. Traffic, crowds and shop opening hours change with the clock. Rockstar has not said how long a day lasts.

The people in it

Rockstar told The New York Times the game has well over 600,000 animations. GTA V had about 55,000.

• You can greet, taunt, calm or provoke the people you meet.
• They notice if you follow them, stare or listen in. Some carry hidden weapons.
• They react to what you are wearing and to a visible gun.
• Small events happen around you: a second robber walking in on your robbery, strangers in trouble on a bridge.

Your phone has apps for scanning cars, ordering a ride, banking and fitness, and a social feed. You can scroll the feed but not post to it. As Nelson put it, the pair are on the run.

Radio and TV. Rockstar has promised the next step for in-game radio, and reports mention on-demand podcasts, talk shows and an animated sitcom on television.

Things to do

Every activity, with where it was shown, is in things to do in GTA 6.

Two of these have pages of their own: the gym and pool.

“Seen in” says where to look. “Rockstar interview” means Rob Nelson’s interview with IGN.

Whether cheat codes return is covered in GTA 6 cheats.

Looking after Jason and Lucia

• Body. Exercise builds muscle and overeating adds weight. The changes are subtler than in GTA: San Andreas, and muscle fades without upkeep.
• Food gives short boosts. You can eat from the fridge at home.
• Hair does not grow by itself. You can trim it at home, but new styles come from a salon.
• Clothes. Thousands of items are reported, with some sold only in particular shops.
• Sleep is optional.

The relationship and your Criminal Profile

Two systems track how you play. They are separate.

The relationship between Jason and Lucia grows when they spend time together and reply to each other’s messages. The romance is optional. Nelson says it will affect how their story plays out.

The Criminal Profile records what kind of criminal you are: careful, or violent. It is not a morality meter, and doing what a mission asks does not count against you. The world responds to it.

More on both in GTA 6 story.

How the relationship works, step by step, is in GTA 6 relationship system.

The Criminal Profile is explained in full in GTA 6 Criminal Profile.

Missions

Missions are built with more than one way through, and with fewer instant failures. The story is told in chapters. Nelson’s own playthrough took about 80 hours, including some optional content.

Robberies and wanted levels work the same way inside missions as outside them. The Extended Look breakdown walks through the three missions Rockstar has shown.

What Rockstar has confirmed about missions, without spoilers: GTA 6 missions.

Performance

Rockstar has not published a frame rate or resolution. The official video was captured on a PS5. An outside analysis measured it at 1440p and 30 frames per second, with ray-traced reflections. A 30 frames per second target for consoles has been reported second-hand, with a 60 option undecided. See GTA 6 platforms.

What was cut, and what is not in the game

How all of this compares with GTA V is in GTA 6 vs GTA V.

Does GTA 6 use AI?

Not generative AI. Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two’s chief executive, said it has “zero part” in what Rockstar is building, and that its worlds are handcrafted. Rob Nelson has said the same in a preview interview.

The game’s characters are driven by conventional game AI, as in every GTA. That is a different thing.

For short answers to everything else, see the GTA 6 FAQ.

GTA 6 gameplay FAQ

What can you do in GTA 6?

Besides the story, GTA 6 has robberies, car theft, a gym, basketball, pool, mini golf, fishing, scuba diving, kayaking, base jumping, racing, a shooting range, nightclubs and a zoo.

Does GTA 6 have first-person mode?

Probably not at launch. The official gameplay video shows first person only through binoculars, and two people who spoke to Rockstar say there is no full first-person mode yet. Rockstar has made no formal statement.

How many wanted stars does GTA 6 have?

Six. The official gameplay video shows six star slots.

How does the GTA 6 wanted system work?

Police respond only when a crime is witnessed or an alarm goes off, and they track what they know about you: your face, clothes and vehicle. You lose them by changing those things, not only by driving away.

Was the fridge stocking feature cut from GTA 6?

Yes. Rob Nelson told Famitsu that Rockstar experimented with buying groceries to restock the fridge and simplified it. You can still take food from the fridge.

Does GTA 6 use AI?

No generative AI was used to make GTA 6, according to Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick.

Does GTA 6 have a day and night cycle?

Yes. Traffic, crowds and shop opening hours change with the time of day. Rockstar has not said how long a full day lasts.

Can you go fishing in GTA 6?

Yes. Fishing is shown in the official gameplay video.

Will GTA 6 have jiggle physics?

Rockstar has not said anything about it.

How many weapons can you carry in GTA 6?

Two handguns and two long guns, according to previews. The rest are kept in your car’s trunk or in a locker at Ammu-Nation.

More questions: GTA 6 FAQ

Also read

Countries Where GTA 6 Is Banned, and Where It Isn’t: Every Country CheckedGTA 6 Properties: Safehouses, Garages and What You Can BuyGTA 6 Criminal Profile Explained: What Kind of Criminal Are You?