GTA VI: key takeaways from Rockstar’s presentation

Yesterday, Rockstar Games held its most detailed GTA VI showcase to date. The 26-minute An Extended Look premiered exclusively on Netflix before arriving six hours later on Rockstar’s YouTube channel and the game’s official website.

The entire Extended Look consists of footage captured directly from GTA VI on PlayStation 5. In other words, the visual quality shown is not from a separate pre-rendered CGI video created specifically for marketing.

The Extended Look particularly highlights the lighting, shadows and reflections, water, vegetation, hair and clothing animations, as well as the number of cars and people appearing on screen at once. Vice City looks much more alive and detailed: its streets are filled with NPCs and traffic, the environment is packed with small details, and clubs, beaches and natural areas feel noticeably different from one another.

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Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look (YouTube)

The world will react to the player’s actions

Rockstar wants GTA VI’s world to feel more alive and aware of what is happening around the player. For example, simply walking down the street with a rifle will already attract attention from pedestrians — NPCs do not need to wait for the player to start shooting before reacting.

More than 600,000 animations have been created for GTA VI. For comparison, GTA V had around 55,000, while Red Dead Redemption 2 had approximately 300,000. Residents of different areas will also vary in clothing, body type, appearance and behaviour.

The map will be roughly three times the size of RDR2’s world

According to Rockstar, GTA VI’s map is roughly three times the size of the playable area in Red Dead Redemption 2. At the same time, the developers are focusing not only on scale, but also on how much detail, content, events and side activities are packed into the world.

One playthrough by development lead Rob Nelson took around 80 hours.

However, this is not the official length of the main campaign. His playthrough included the main story as well as some additional missions with narrative consequences.

The police will be smarter

GTA VI will bring back a six-star wanted level, while the police system itself has been significantly reworked.

Police will be able to receive information about a suspect’s appearance, clothing and vehicle, meaning simply leaving the search area will not always be enough. Players may need to switch cars or change clothes to disappear.

If police know that Jason and Lucia committed a crime together, splitting up may sometimes be the better option. The more information the police have about them, the harder it will be to escape.

Stealing cars will be more difficult

Stealing any parked car with a single button press will no longer be possible. Different models will have different levels of security: some may only require a smashed window or picked lock, while better-protected vehicles will require special tools.

A dedicated smartphone app will let players check whether a car is locked, whether it has an alarm or GPS tracker, how much it is worth and what tool is needed to steal it.

Jason and Lucia’s relationship will depend on the player

Jason and Lucia will be able to take on missions together, and during certain sequences players can quickly switch between them. For example, one character can drive while the other shoots at pursuers.

Their relationship will also become a separate gameplay system. Players can spend more time with their partner and develop the romance, or choose to keep some distance. These choices will affect certain moments in their story, although Jason and Lucia will remain partners regardless.

Food and exercise will change the characters’ appearance

GTA VI will bring back the character body transformation mechanic familiar from San Andreas. Food will affect Jason and Lucia’s weight, while regular exercise will change their physique.

Fatigue and lifestyle will also be reflected in their appearance. Going without proper rest, hiding from the police or partying for several days in a row will visibly affect the characters.

Safehouses will become more interactive

Development lead Rob Nelson compared GTA VI’s safehouses more closely to the camps in Red Dead Redemption 2 than to the apartments found in previous GTA games.

They will offer more opportunities for interaction and are designed to feel more like actual places where the characters live.

There will be more things to do outside missions

The Extended Look showcased a wide range of side activities, including basketball, fishing, diving, kayaking, jet skiing, dirt biking, street racing and parachuting.

Players will also be able to visit clubs, work out at gyms and discover other activities that are not directly tied to the main story.

GTA VI will feature fully functional social media feeds

The in-game smartphone will feature functioning social media feeds that allow players to follow characters and events taking place across the game world.

For example, viral posts will let players follow the rise of the musical duo Real Dimez. Social media will also serve as another way for Rockstar to satirise contemporary American culture.

Rockstar spent years studying Miami

During GTA VI’s development, different Rockstar teams visited Miami and the surrounding area over the course of the last decade. The company also has a dedicated research team based in the city.

Developers spoke with former criminals, police officers, club promoters, gun sellers and other people familiar with local life. More than 50 real street artists were also brought in to create murals specifically for GTA VI.

Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.