GTA VI: Here's everything we know after the big Netflix preview
Rockstar Games has given players their most detailed look yet at Grand Theft Auto 6, revealing new gameplay systems, expanded character interactions, and a more sophisticated approach to police pursuits in its highly anticipated blockbuster.
The 26-minute “extended look” debuted on Netflix before appearing on YouTube six hours later, ending a gap of more than 18 months since Rockstar last released a substantial official glimpse of the game. The presentation contained no commentary, instead showing a montage of story scenes, driving, gunfights and exploration across the fictional US state of Leonida.
The footage also arrived after a week of unauthorised gameplay leaks. Rockstar said it had been “heartbreaking” to see unfinished material circulated before the developer could show the game on its own terms.
Lucia and Jason’s relationship can change
The story centres on protagonists Jason Duval and Lucia Camino, a criminal couple whose partnership has prompted comparisons with Bonnie and Clyde.
Rockstar’s footage showed players switching between Jason and Lucia during missions and while exploring the world. When the pair are together, the transition appears to happen almost immediately, including while they occupy different seats in the same vehicle. Switching when they are further apart takes longer, in a system resembling the character changes in Grand Theft Auto 5.
One sequence showed Jason helping Lucia escape through a window during a police raid on an apartment building.
But their relationship appears to go beyond simply providing two playable characters. The footage suggests players will influence whether Jason and Lucia develop their romantic relationship, with decisions and the amount of time they spend together potentially affecting how their bond develops. The characters’ story could be affected by player actions and that players could choose not to develop the relationship.
Police may remember your face, clothes and vehicle
Some of the biggest apparent gameplay changes involve GTA’s familiar wanted system.
The six-star wanted level, which was absent from GTA 5, appears to be returning. But escaping the police may now require more than simply driving beyond the search area.
Symbols beneath the wanted-level display appear to indicate what information police have about the player, potentially including their appearance, clothing, weapons and vehicle.
That could mean officers remain capable of recognising a suspect after an immediate pursuit has ended. Changing clothes or otherwise altering the character’s appearance may therefore play a role in avoiding detection.
Police officers also do not appear to be displayed permanently on the minimap. Instead, the footage suggests players may need to use a “Focus” mechanic to locate them while the minimap provides broader information about the pursuit.
The minimap itself appears more detailed than in earlier GTA games, with three-dimensional representations of nearby buildings and structures visible during the footage.
GTA 6 introduces karma and a criminal profile
Rockstar also appears to have expanded ideas introduced in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Players can apparently interact directly with non-player characters by holding a button and choosing from several prompts, similar to the interaction system used in Rockstar’s western.
The footage also displayed what appears to be a karma mechanic. Petting a dog was shown producing positive karma, while Lucia received negative karma while escaping a robbery.
The system resembles Red Dead Redemption 2’s honour mechanic, which influenced how other characters responded to the player.
Another system identified in the extended footage is a “Criminal Profile”, which appears to develop according to the player’s behaviour during free-roam gameplay.
Repeatedly carrying out particular actions can affect that profile, suggesting Rockstar is attempting to make the world respond more closely to how individual players behave.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Gunplay appears significantly changed
Combat also appears to have received a substantial overhaul.
Previous Rockstar titles have traditionally relied heavily on target lock-on, even while offering free-aim options. The GTA 6 presentation, however, showed Jason and Lucia frequently aiming weapons freely from cover and in different combat situations.
In one sequence, Lucia fires a weapon from the hip while carrying a heavy bag with her other hand, suggesting animations and shooting behaviour may change depending on what the character is doing.
The footage also appears to show a slow-motion targeting ability similar to the Dead Eye mechanic from the Red Dead Redemption series. Activating it slows the action and highlights areas of an opponent’s body that can be targeted, including the head, hands and joints.
Leonida appears crowded and highly detailed
The visual detail of GTA 6 was among the most widely praised elements of the presentation.
Characters have highly detailed faces and movements, while environments shown in the footage range from apartments and rooftop bars to packed nightclubs and streets across Leonida, Rockstar’s fictional state inspired by Florida.
The game also depicts a notably wide range of body types among background characters, a detail highlighted by viewers after the presentation. Journalist Ryan McCaffrey described GTA 6 as potentially “the best-looking game” he had seen.
Some locations appear capable of supporting unusually dense crowds. One sequence showed Jason moving through a packed nightclub filled with non-player characters.
Rockstar confirmed at the end of the presentation that the footage had been captured on a PlayStation 5, although it did not specify whether the console was a standard PS5 or PS5 Pro.
The graphical ambition has added to expectations surrounding the game, which has been in development for years and is thought to have one of the largest budgets in video game history.
Racing, diving and weightlifting among side activities
As with previous Grand Theft Auto games, the main storyline appears to represent only part of what players will be able to do.
The extended footage showed track racing, jet skiing, scuba diving and weightlifting among the optional activities available around Leonida.
Players will also be able to spend quieter periods at their characters’ homes. One sequence showed Jason waiting for Lucia and choosing a beer from a refrigerator before sitting down to watch television, complete with the fictional adverts that have long formed part of GTA’s satire of American consumer culture.
Clothing also appears to have been significantly expanded. Jason and Lucia were shown wearing outfits ranging from casual shirts and tank tops to suits and evening wear, suggesting extensive customisation options.
Together with armed robberies, car chases, shoot-outs and darkly comic interactions, the footage suggests Rockstar is combining the series’ established formula with systems intended to make its open world more reactive and detailed.
Questions remain over GTA 6 Online
One major subject Rockstar did not address was the future of GTA Online.
The company has previously described GTA 6 as a single-player experience at launch, leaving players expecting a new online component to arrive later. The extended presentation concentrated entirely on the story, characters and gameplay and provided no new details about multiplayer.
The question is commercially significant. GTA Online, which launched after Grand Theft Auto 5, remains widely played and is estimated to have generated billions of dollars for Rockstar.
GTA 5, released in 2013, has sold more than 200 million copies, while the wider Grand Theft Auto series is estimated to have sold about half a billion copies since its debut in 1997.
Interest in its successor is already enormous. GTA 6’s first two official trailers have accumulated almost 500 million combined YouTube views.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch on 19 November 2026.
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