Here Are Some Of The Most Highly Speculated Gameplay Features Players Can Expect In ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’
With a reported $1 billion in preorders anticipated, the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI is set to transform gaming forever. According to reports, the game is so highly anticipated that publishers are bidding their time to avoid scheduling any releases near its launch dates.
Rescheduled for May 26, 2026, the game is set to revolutionize many aspects of gaming, including heralding a new, higher price for Triple-A games, which might shoot to $100. The anticipation is not unfounded, though, considering the extensive investment in visuals and interactive gameplay. Featuring one of the most detailed open-world environments in gaming history, GTA VI is clearly a spectacle if the released trailers, which were all shot on PS5, are anything to go by.
The game takes players back to Vice City but on a whole new level, with a larger and more detailed gameworld featuring new locations and lots of new impressive features that dwarf anything players experienced in GTA V.
Though no official gameplay mechanics have been explicitly revealed by Rockstar Games, keen-eyed fans of the Grand Theft Auto series may have noticed some things in the trailers that have been released, leading to speculation online regarding some of the anticipated title’s new mechanics. From real-world-looking social media interactions to wildlife that fights back, here is a look at the most impressive features that Rockstar has included in Grand Theft Auto VI.
Drake’s radio station
Imagine playing GTA VI while listening to Drake’s latest hit released just for the game! While Rockstar has made no confirmations, music producer Jermaine Dupri recently told the New Rory and Mal Podcast that the producer approached him about artists such as Drake and Kendrick Lamar having their own radio stations in the game. DJ Khaled is also rumored to be a host at one of the stations.
These are just a few of the many celebrities, including Megan Thee Stallion, who are set to feature in GTA VI in one way or another. Listening to the radio in GTA VI will, therefore, feel a lot more realistic than what players got with previous releases.
Fully dynamic weather with actual gameplay impact
GTA VI weather systems will be so interactive that a hurricane warning can cause a mission to disappear, costing you money. The game’s advanced weather effects go beyond the typical day and night sequences that most games have. If we are to believe the Reddit thread claiming the game’s weather system will affect gameplay in real time, when players drive into a thunderstorm, the adaptive weather systems cause visibility to drop, wipers to slam on, and make roads to hydroplane.
Its realistic recreation of Florida weather is set to bring everything Florida-like to life. From roads being closed off and cars submerging due to floods to players experiencing occasional lightning strikes and windstorms throwing objects your way, in GTA VI, the weather is very much a part of every aspect of the game. The sand and water effects of the game are reportedly true to life, to a granular level, making a jet-ski ride or driving over the sand feel more realistic.
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Wildlife that fights back
GTA VI brings everything about the Florida Keys to life, including the animals that dominate the Everglades. From pythons swimming through the swamps to flamingoes on the beaches, animals in the game are just as detailed and active as the NPCs. In the GTA VI trailers, dogs can be seen jogging alongside people, a homeless man with an iguana on his shoulder, a wildlife officer restraining an alligator in someone’s swimming pool, and more instances of real-life-looking wildlife activity.
The game also reintroduces hunting, a pastime that players will enjoy in the remote Mount Kalaga National Park, a significant part of the game’s map. Players will, therefore, have to look out where they step because they can easily go from shooting at a wild boar to having to escape from the jaws of an angry python or a snapping alligator.
Realistic workout with actual gameplay impact
The appearance of Jason and Lucia may be an important aspect of GTA VI, and one thing that could impact how skinny, fat, or muscular they look is what they eat and how often they work out. Rockstar Games has already explored this concept in the past. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, working out could build visible muscle; affecting, even, certain missions.
The concept seems to have returned in GTA VI, as Jason can be seen lifting weights while Lucia works out with a punching bag in the trailers. Jason and Lucia’s appearances also change throughout the trailers, especially Jason appearing very muscular at some point, which could mean the characters’ fitness level will have a direct impact on their health in certain missions. Working out and building muscle could also have an impact on how NPCs interact with the player, like women becoming more flirty with Jason after he lifts his weights.
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Realistic tool-based auto-theft sequences
Traditionally, players only needed to press a button to steal a car, but GTA VI has reportedly upgraded to a more realistic car theft system. Drivers may now have to analyze the type of car they intend to carjack. Regular scare-and-grab tactics will still work for occupied cars, although it is important to remember that NPCs can now fight back. However, for parked vehicles, different types of cars will require different tools and car-jacking skills to steal and get away without being caught.
The leaked events for GTA VI have led to online speculation, hinting at new features like an Immobilizer Bypass, which can be used to steal modern high-end vehicles, the Slim-Jim for carjacking older cars, and even a tracker jammer that will likely reduce the chances of being caught after stealing a car. Selling cars will also involve a middleman known as a Car Fence, another feature imported from Red Dead Redemption 2.
Advanced AI-driven NPC interactions
Speculation also leads to believe that NPCs in Grand Theft Auto VI will be AI-powered, which could mean they have their own lives, they can think, remember, adapt, and react to a player’s actions in real time; turning every scene into a unique experience. In the first trailer, a scene on the beach shows everyone going about their business, including a couple jogging alongside a dog, someone taking selfies, and another one applying sunscreen, among other activities you would expect from a real-life beach day.
The most important addition to the game, however, is the way in which NPCs may react to Jason and Lucia. Speculation online leads to suggest that, if a player is notoriously bad, NPCS might avoid them. If Jason’s muscles are bulked up, the girls flirt with him. Equally, when Lucia is dressed nicely, NPCs are more likely to flirt with her. NPCs will also be able to remember a player, another feature that will change many aspects of the game, including one’s wanted status if they go back to a place where they committed a crime.
Real-life looking robbery scenes
With intelligent NPCs, the robbery sequences in GTA VI just had to change, and Rockstar Games may have made things even more interesting, as seen in the leaked clips. GTA VI has more enterable spaces than previous games, which means players can walk into a bank, a diner, or any other place of business and choose whether to transact or, most preferably, rob the places and the NPCs they find there. In the second trailer, Jason can be seen opening the cash register to take money after smacking the cashier into submission; a feature that will likely dominate robbery scenes in the game.
Moreover, with more intelligent NPCs now appearing in these places, hostage situations will be frequent during robbery. Like in real life, players will therefore have to do a fair share of crowd management. During a robbery in the trailer, Lucia orders NPCS to raise their hands above their heads while Jason orders one to stay behind. On release, the game could include extra features such as gagging NPCs during robbery, another feature the game has borrowed from Red Dead Redemption 2.
Advanced AI-driven law enforcement response
Police response is another important aspect of the long-running series, and GTA VI is set to have the most advanced version ever seen thus far. In the game, police may not just show up instantly out of nowhere, as was the case in previous entries. When the player commits a crime in GTA VI, police may take time to question witnesses and build a profile before the player is marked as wanted. From the second GTA VI trailer, an NPC questions whether someone is a “Fed,” which could mean players might have to deal with undercover police, adding a new dynamic to the game.
Another NPC also tells Jason that they got his name and address, which means the police can now build a detailed profile of the player before coming after them, another feature that made Red Dead Redemption 2 more interesting. In the leaked videos, per yet another Reddit thread by a ken-eyed-user, Jason and Lucia are on the run after robbing a diner, but Lucia’s features have been identified by a witness, which makes it easy for them to be tracked. In GTA VI, players will therefore deal with a realistic-looking law enforcement response whose actions depend on the severity of the crime and whether there are any witnesses. There were rumors that the worst crimes could lead to a military-level police response, although that remains to be seen when the game is finally released.
