GTA 6 Wanted Level and Police: How the New System Works

GTA 6 has a wanted level of up to six stars, and its police work differently from GTA V’s. This page explains how you become wanted, what the police know about you, how to lose them, and what has not been announced, from what Rockstar has shown and said.

On this page

1. What Rockstar has shown
2. How you become wanted
3. What the police know about you
4. How to lose the police
5. Shooting, and avoiding it
6. Busted and wasted
7. The Criminal Profile
8. GTA 6 police compared with GTA V
9. What has not been announced
10. What the leaks show
11. GTA 6 wanted level FAQ
12. Sources

What Rockstar has shown

An Extended Look, released on August 27, 2026, shows a chase at four stars, out of six slots on screen. Sirens start soon after Raul gets in the car, a helicopter tracks it, and Jason shoots at police cars and the helicopter while Lucia drives. When they pull into a garage, a patrol car spots them and Lucia drives straight back out. Police radio chatter about losing sight of the car ends the chase.

The trailers show more police: a raid, arrests, a helicopter hovering as the pair jump from a window, and Lucia leaving Leonida Penitentiary. Rockstar’s profile of Lucia says: “Fighting for her family landed her in the Leonida Penitentiary. Sheer luck got her out.”

How you become wanted

Nelson explained the system in interviews in August to October 2026. More is in our GTA 6 gameplay guide.

• Someone has to see it. As in Red Dead Redemption 2, you are not wanted unless a witness sees the crime or an alarm goes off, Nelson told Famitsu.
• Witnesses call it in. A driver whose car you take may report it. A passer-by who sees you preparing a robbery may call the police, and they may be waiting outside when you come out.
• Alarms and cameras. Kicking a door in or breaking a car window can set off an alarm. “Destroy the security cameras, nobody can see you,” Nelson said.
• Trackers. Some expensive cars carry trackers that tell police where they are when you drive slowly.
• Stars rise slowly. The stars “don’t increase easily”, Nelson said. It depends on how serious the crime is.

What the police know about you

Police chase a description, not a dot on the map. Icons under the stars show what police know, according to IGN’s and Flow Games’ previews: your appearance, your clothes, your car and your weapons. Police can also remember whether you were with your partner, YouTuber Rubius reported.

• Your clothes. Police “still know what I’m wearing, so I would need to go to a clothing store,” Nelson told IGN.
• Your hair. “Changing your hair will change your appearance,” he said.
• Your face. A mask worn during a crime and taken off afterwards can keep your face from the police, even if a camera recorded it, IGN’s preview reported.
• Hollow stars. When police know about a crime but not who did it, the stars are shown as outlines, IGN’s preview reported.

How to lose the police

• Leave the Heat area. A crime creates a “Heat” area that police search. Leave it and the pursuing police drop away, Nelson told Famitsu. Go back into the area and your wanted level can shoot back up, IGN reported.
• Go on foot. At three stars, “your best option is usually to do this – get off the streets and get on foot into the alleys,” Nelson told IGN. Escaping by car is hard without something very fast.
• Change your look. A new outfit from a clothing store, or a new haircut, breaks the description. A hat or glasses alone may not be enough. See Rob Nelson’s IGN interview.
• Ditch the evidence. Getting out of the car you were seen in, and dropping the gun you were seen with, lowers suspicion.
• Split up. If police are looking for a couple, Jason and Lucia can separate, and Nelson told Flow Games this can lower your character’s wanted level by one star. Your partner can also take the wheel: “The partner can drive pretty well, so you can often have the partner drive to get you away from the cops,” Nelson said.
• Safe places. Hideouts and some story locations are safe zones, Nelson told Famitsu.

Shooting, and avoiding it

• Suppressive fire. “Instead of shooting directly at the police, you can deliberately miss and fire your shots near to them instead,” Nelson told Famitsu, as translated by Kotaku. He called it a new mechanic.
• It counts against you. “You can shoot, of course, but it will impact your reputation,” he said. Using unnecessary violence again and again may make later situations more dangerous, Esquire reported from its preview.
• Shooting tyres. Police can target your tyres, according to YouTuber TGG. You can shoot theirs: Nelson told Famitsu that shooting a police car’s tyres in An Extended Look flipped it.
• Weapons draw attention. Police warn you if you draw or hold a weapon near them, according to YouTuber TGG’s preview. More on carrying guns is in GTA 6 weapons.

Busted and wasted

• You lose your cash. If you are arrested or killed, you lose the cash you are carrying. Money in the bank is safe, Nelson told Famitsu. See GTA 6 money and robberies.
• Both of you. If one of the pair is arrested, “Busted” appears even if the other is free, IGN’s preview reported.
• Where you return. Previews disagree. Kinda Funny reported returning nearby rather than at a hospital. YouTuber MikeShowSha reported a hospital after death, and the police station after arrest.

The Criminal Profile

GTA 6 judges what kind of criminal you are, from professional to violent. Shooting back at people affects it, and the more aggressive you are, the more aggressive the people around you become, Nelson told Famitsu. It is not a traditional good-versus-evil system, Kinda Funny reported. How it works, from the four reported states to what it changes, is in GTA 6 Criminal Profile.

GTA 6 police compared with GTA V

The GTA V column is the released game. The GTA 6 column is from Rockstar’s interviews and previews, so it is Reported.

What has not been announced

Rockstar has not said anything about these, and no preview we trust covers them in detail:

• Bribing police, or corrupt police as a game system
• Jail time, bail or a playable prison
• Surrendering with your hands up
• Bounty hunters
• What happens at five and six stars, such as the army
• State troopers, sheriffs, or which force patrols where
• How long a Heat area lasts

Some sites call a surrender option “confirmed”, based on the 2022 leak. It has not been announced.

Force names that fans and outlets have read off police cars in the trailers are listed, with their sources, in GTA 6 gangs and police forces.

What the leaks show

Leaked videos from August 2026 show a police chase and a six-star wanted level, according to Insider Gaming and Dexerto. None of it is official. We report leaks as news and do not link to them. See GTA 6 leaks explained.

GTA 6 wanted level FAQ

How many wanted stars are in GTA 6?

Six. An Extended Look shows a chase at four stars out of six on screen. GTA V had five.

Are police on the minimap in GTA 6?

No, according to several previews. Police are not normally shown on the minimap during a chase, so you have to watch and listen for them, though the Focus ability can help find them.

How do you lose the police in GTA 6?

Leave the Heat area the police are searching, and change what they are looking for: your clothes, your hair or your car. At higher levels, Rockstar’s Rob Nelson says the best option is usually to get out of the car and into the alleys on foot.

What happens when you get busted in GTA 6?

You lose the cash you are carrying, but money in the bank is safe, according to Rockstar’s Rob Nelson. If one of the pair is arrested, it counts as busted even if the other is free.

Can you bribe the police in GTA 6?

Not announced. Rockstar has said nothing about bribes or corrupt police as a game system.

Can you surrender in GTA 6?

Not announced. Some sites say it is confirmed, but that comes from the 2022 leak, not from Rockstar.

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?