Grand Theft Auto 6's map is significantly larger than the maps in Rockstar's previous games. Here's how it compares to the studio's other titles, according to the developer.

Rockstar Games confirmed to The New York Times and YouTuber TGG that Grand Theft Auto 6's map is three times bigger than the playable area of Red Dead Redemption 2. Elaborating to TGG, it was revealed that it is twice the size of Grand Theft Auto 5, and Vice City itself is twice the size of Los Santos from GTA 5. Vice City and its surrounding suburbs are 11 times bigger than Los Santos and its surrounding areas.

If that wasn't enough for you, TGG also revealed that there are "hundreds" of accessible interiors in GTA 6. In GTA 5, players could enter the homes of their respective characters, different shops, and a few random buildings like the Los Santos police station, but generally speaking, there weren't a lot of places you could enter. GTA Online has added more over time, but they often require loading screens and are very restrictive.

The GTA 6 extended look already showed off a variety of interiors both inside and outside of missions, so that should make Leonida a lot more layered. Speaking to IGN, Rockstar Games' Rob Nelson discussed how the developer took lessons learned from building Red Dead Redemption 2's version of the Wild West and expanded upon those ideas with GTA 6.

“I think with Red Dead Redemption 2, we finally had the team and the tech and then took the time we needed to push the idea of making a fully realized consistent-feeling world further than we ever had,” Nelson explained.

“With that game we took the time necessary to take advantage of that generation of hardware to maximize the quality of our open world population, design, and gameplay so that when you were riding from here to there in-game, you were constantly getting distracted and pulled in different directions. And then you could really get lost as that character in that place. That's when to me, these games can feel magical and create a sense of wonder that the world is alive – and you get these little shivers of ‘What’s happening?’

"GTA 6 is a continuation of our team pushing in this direction – doing everything we possibly can to create the largest, deepest, most densely populated and complex world we have ever built for people to get lost in.”

For more GTA 6 coverage, check out our full interview with Rob Nelson, our exclusive preview of the game, and our roundup of everything revealed and confirmed on Netflix, IGN, and by Rockstar Games so far.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

The Whisper Man premieres globally on Netflix on August 28.

Tragedy. Fathers desperate for connection with their sons and failing to find it. A string of murders that left a town shaken and an eerie nursery rhyme in their wake. Minds, homes, and families haunted. A cop desperate to stop the murder of a small boy before it happens. The Whisper Man has all the ingredients of a story that will chill your bones.

Based on the novel by Alex North, the film follows newly widowed crime novelist Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott), who is forced to reconcile with estranged father and retired detective Pete Willis (Robert De Niro) when his son Jake (Acston Luca Porto) goes missing. The kidnapping follows the pattern of a child abduction and murder spree that Willis solved when Tom was just a boy; the circumstances of Willis’ involvement with the crime and its perpetrator left the detective so traumatized that he ultimately abandoned his family.

The only person who might know who is behind these grisly acts — a butcher of innocents known as the Whisper Man — sits rotting in the jail cell where Willis put him. Desperate to find Jake and assigned to the case, Detective Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan) joins forces with Willis in a partnership that’s one of several contrivances meant to move the plot along. Unfortunately, that team doesn’t always track, and the circumstances surrounding the home that Tom rents are so full of wild coincidences that one is left utterly baffled.

The Whisper Man draws on a hodgepodge of influences, tropes, and plotlines from past thrillers, some more successful than others. James Patterson’s serial killer novels, Slender Man, The Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense, The Black Phone, and A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger all shape the story; there are even shades of the Pied Piper in the mix. It’s a potentially potent mix, but as much as The Whisper Man aims to shock, the largest reveal is telegraphed fairly early on, leaving the viewer to wait for the film to catch up.

The base premise is inherently horrific, and director James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark) delivers unsettling images and auditory motifs, but the central relationships — Tom and his father; Jake and Tom; and Willis and his nemesis, the Whisper Man — aren’t fleshed out enough to leave a deep imprint because valuable screen time that could develop those emotional stakes is instead spent on a series of side stories and characters that mostly muddle the plot.

In a world where filmmakers regularly play with and reinvent the horror genre, this one feels like it was lifted from a time capsule. Retro can have its appeal, and The Whisper Man moves along at a brisk, fairly engaging pace. But the major outcomes are foreseeable, and the surprising moments are often just bits of plotting that make no sense. The film serves up curveballs that don’t land, befuddling character choices, obvious red herrings, and one wildly disturbing villain motivation that the film absolutely doesn’t earn. While serviceably directed with some effective and entertaining moments and a remarkably stacked cast that delivers a couple of scene-chewing interactions, The Whisper Man is too full of unexplored threads and illogical turns to pay off its promise.

Woot, which is owned by Amazon, just launched a last minute deal on a Nintendo Switch 2 console. While supplies last, you can pick up a Grade "A" Refurbished Nintendo Switch 2 console for just $399.99. Amazon Prime members get free shipping, otherwise add $4.99 for delivery. A 90-day Woot warranty is included.

According to Woot, "This item has been inspected and guaranteed to have minimal cosmetic damage & has successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality & removal of any prior-user's personal information. Unit includes OEM accessories and is packaged in a generic white or brown box."

Nintendo Switch 2 Console for $399.99

Grade "A" Refurbished

Editor's Note: This article is sponsored by X-Chair.

X-Chair's "top of the line" office chair - the X-Tech Executive - retails for $1,845, although it's currently on sale for $1,384. That places this chair firmly in the super premium tier. As far as ergonomic chairs go, the rule of "you get what you pay for" is fairly accurate, most of the time. High quality chairs are really expensive for a reason. And for people who spend several hours per day sitting, whether it be for work or for gaming marathons, the investment is justifiable.

As both an avid tech enthusiast and die-hard deal hunter, I'm a huge fan of Hisense's QD7 TV lineup. The QD7 offers premium features that will sure to please both movie watchers and console gamers at a price point that caters to the budget-conscious. It's available in several sizes, but the garganutan 100" model is exclusively sold at Costco.

For Labor Day, the 100" Hisense QD7 4K Hi-QLED Fire TV is on sale for just $1,4997.97 after a $300 iff instant discount and free delivery to your door. That's not all. Costco is throwing in an extended 3 year AllState warranty on top of Hisense's 2 year warranty for a total of 5 years. That's incredible considering most TVs come with a piddly one year.

100" Hisense QD7 4K Hi-QLED Fire TV for $1,499.99

Includes 5 year warranty

The official Pokémon profile on X has responded after its account was hacked by an unknown party who shared a post linking out to a memecoin.

The hack occurred around 3 PM PT on August 17, 2026. The post — which has since been deleted — was cleverly structured, appearing as an official Pokémon advertisement with a link to a site that, at first glance, looked like a legitimate page celebrating the brand’s 30th anniversary, which is ongoing.

“Celebrate 30 years of Pokémon in a whole new way!” the post read. “Introducing $POKEMON, the official Pokemon memecoin. Join trainers around the world and be part of the #Pokemon30 celebration.”

The post was up for around thirty minutes before it was finally taken down. Most commenters weren’t fooled, though, and it wasn’t long before proposed community notes began appearing underneath the supposed scam on X.

Pokémon published a statement addressing the hack shortly afterward, acknowledging that the account had been compromised for a thirty-minute period.

“We’re aware that our X account was accessed without authorization and used to publish posts promoting a cryptocurrency,” it wrote. “Those posts were not created or approved by Pokémon and have been removed. We have secured the account and are investigating the incident. We’re sorry for the confusion and appreciate your patience.”

The @Pokemon handle on X was temporarily compromised earlier for ~30 minutes.

We’re aware that our X account was accessed without authorization and used to publish posts promoting a cryptocurrency.

Those posts were not created or approved by Pokémon and have been removed. We…

— Pokémon (@Pokemon) August 27, 2026

Fans flooded the comments underneath this post with relief, along with endless memes joking that Team Rocket must've been behind the hack. However, this post was also deleted shortly after being published, and no follow-up remarks have yet been made on the account regarding the hack.

It's unclear if any damage was done as a result of the incident, but this wouldn't be the first time the brand has been digitally infiltrated; in late 2024, a hacker performed one of the largest leaks of Pokémon materials in history after servers at developer GameFreak were breached.

What resulted was "hundreds of gigabytes to nearly a terabyte" of internal data getting spread around the net, which reportedly included concept art, unused Pokémon prototoypes, source code, and even codenames for planned future games.

And in 2025, hackers released Pokémon Legends: Z-A files that included gameplay videos showing cut content and early builds of the game.

Thankfully, this latest incident wasn't nearly as terrifying as either of those two hacks, and the official Pokémon account is far from the first profile on X to get hijacked by cryptocoin scammers... though that isn't exactly a comforting thought. In fact, the hacker behind the infamous GTA 6 leaks has also hawked a crypto scheme, though the gameplay footage they showed pales in comparison to the viral Netflix showcase that aired on the platform earlier today.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

I wasn't exactly surprised when I heard that Grand Theft Auto 6 would be coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X before it ever comes to PC; Rockstar took that same approach with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Even though I've had to wait for those games to come to PC, they've always been better when you have the hardware to really push these games to another level, and I didn't expect GTA 6 to be any different.

Then I watched the Extended Look on Netflix, and it looks incredible. Even from from my couch, I could tell there were some incredible ray-traced global illumination, reflection, and shadow effects, which really make the game come alive. There were even moments — like when Jason and Lucia talk to someone behind a window — where the shadows dynamically move across the stranger's face that really make the game look like a technical masterpiece.

The only problem is that it was running on a base PS5. The game looks incredible regardless, but there were certainly moments where the frame rate slowed down considerably. I had already heard word that GTA 6 will only get a 60fps mode on the PS5 Pro, and now I can definitely see why. With all those lighting effects and the high-resolution textures, Grand Theft Auto 6 is really going to make the base consoles chug.

I have a hard time believing that GTA 6 will even be able to run at a steady 60fps on even the PS5 Pro, even though I know just how talented Rockstar's engineers are at making gorgeous games run on limited hardware. What I really want to do is take away those limits with an extemely powerful graphics card.

When Red Dead Redemption 2 finally made its way to PC, it was one my go-to games to test hardware with for years. I've only just recently dropped it from my testing rotation. The reason it stuck around so long was how scalable it was. Rockstar found a way to allow people to turn the settings down to a ridiculous degree, to be able to play it on PCs that frankly had no right trying to run it. Likewise, if you did have a beefy computer, there were dozens of things you could tweak that elevated the game far beyond how it looked on the PS4 and Xbox One. That game's PC port was a huge leap over GTA 5's port, too, and I suspect that when GTA 6 makes its way to PC (maybe sometime next year?), Rockstar is going to take those learnings even further.

There are already a couple things I'd like to see from the PC version. In a couple of moments in the extended trailer, reflections were quite noisy, particularly in the bodies of cars. It just so happens that Nvidia launched a new version of ray reconstruction just this week at Gamescom that would basically solve that issue.

At least until some new version of GTA Online comes out, this would be the perfect game to use frame generation, which will help smooth out some of the more noticeable frame drops — at least visually. I know that frame generation is controversial, but this is one of those games where I really want to see just how smooth I can make it, especially because the world looks so lived-in otherwise.

I'm sure there are plenty of folks out there that really just want to get their hands on the game immediately. And while I'll probably end up playing it at least a little bit when the game launches on consoles in November, I just know that I'm going to want to wait until the game launches on PC to really dive in.

Who knows, there may even be more powerful graphics hardware available when the PC version launches that will make the game look even better than what's possible right now. I don't know what the PC version of the game is going to look like yet, of course, but I know that once it finally comes out I'm going to put it through its paces to see just how good I can get it looking — maybe even with mods.

If it looks as good on PS5 as it the Netflix Extended Look made it seem, the inevitable PC port is going to be absolutely jaw-dropping. I already wanted that PC port, but now I need it.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

Rockstar Games has finally revealed an official look at Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay, and members of the development team couldn't be happier to finally see fans' reactions.

Our first real glimpse at what the GTA 6 studio has been cooking up finally arrived as part of the Netflix extended look today. While there's still plenty of side activities, romance subplots, and robberies for Jason and Lucia that we've yet to see, the developers at Rockstar are just happy their work can be shown off as intended.

"Our Teams across the World have worked incredibly hard," production designer Terrance Radcliff said. "So proud of everyone. Watching this with coworkers as a Family – and when I get home I’ll watch again with my Family!"

"The first ever game I have played was Vice City as a kid," graphic programmer Mert Kirimgeri said. "It's an honour to be working with the most professional, brilliant and kind people on the planet over the most immersive game ever made, not to mention one of the most complex computer systems in human existence. Enjoy!!!"

"Watching this with my colleagues was such an emotional experience," associate principal 3D graphic artist Sara Lazzeroni said. "I've seen quite a few teary eyes. I've spent a quarter of my life working hard on this game and there are no words to express how moving it is to see it all come together and share it with you all."

GTA 6 reportedly truly began development in 2020 and was announced in 2022. After a leak, the trailer then officially made its way online with a first look at Jason and Lucia in December 2023.

Just finished watching. It's great to finally see it all come together beautifully, the work of so many incredibly talented colleagues. On my side I mainly worked on dynamic lighting, volumetrics, some shadow tech, lots of optimization, and I'm very proud of it. So close now https://t.co/BpBR2mS055

— Emilio López (@redorav) August 27, 2026

So immensely proud of my team and everyone else, such a colossal, monumental effort and I cannot wait for everyone to experience this! https://t.co/xv3JvNUG6E

— Ross Littlejohn (@Macreusz) August 27, 2026

I'm so overwhelmed and speechless. I'm truly blessed to get to work with this incredible team https://t.co/w01oG9IJb3

— sarah lee 🌻 (@sarleeez) August 27, 2026

Leaks are, unfortunately, nothing new for the GTA 6 team at Rockstar, but they've become an especially problematic part of the pre-launch rollout for the game in recent weeks. Since August 19, the internet has been polluted by early-in-development footage from the forthcoming sandbox crime game.

New videos have steadily flowed from what appears to be the same source, putting an unexpected damper on not only Rockstar's promise to show off gameplay but its November launch as a whole. Now, after the studio issued a statement on the matter, it's firmly turned its attention to its big Netflix debut.

The same goes for its thousands of developers, who are still taking to social media to share their excitement. The internet's first look at GTA 6 gameplay may have arrived unexpectedly, but they're still finding room to celebrate a much more official sneak peek.

Still can’t believe I’m a part of this. So proud of my team, so proud of what we’re making.

Almost there! 🙏🫡 https://t.co/Ppntf3QtXt

— Arthur Medeiros (@artmedeiros) August 27, 2026

So proud to be a part of this. Been a long, long road, but here we are. Proud of what this team has accomplished. https://t.co/FWk3y2jc1f

— Steven Trombetta (@alternagod) August 27, 2026

just in awe i get to be a part of the talented team making such an incredible game 💫 https://t.co/JFcBzEEOMs

— zara :) (@elysivms) August 27, 2026

"Finally," Rockstar programmer Angel Ortiz Eleguero said. "The team I work with is the absolute dream team, this game is only possible through the effort of so so so many wonderful people, thank you everyone in the gfx/vfx North crew y’all are the besttttt."

"I have the pleasure and luck of working with many incredible people across all departments," lead game tools programmer Bradley Stone said. "It's these people, with the dreams and passion to make the best game ever that make working at Rockstar and GTA6 even more special. It really is a team effort to make a game to this scale. To me, this is Rockstar's magnum opus, for the gamers."

When we'll see more from GTA 6 is unclear, but with 27 minutes of gameplay and loads of previews now out in the wild, there's more than enough to keep fans busy until November. For example, IGN's exclusive preview and Rockstar interview are now live and filled with details about the next Grand Theft Auto. You can also check out how long the developer expects the average playthrough to last, as well as a handful of new screenshots.

GTA 6 launches for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S November 19, 2026. While everyone online picks apart every pixel of what we just saw, you can see the full list of every licensed song featured in the big Netflix extended look. Be sure to also check out everything else revealed during the presentation here.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Star Citizen single-player spinoff Squadron 42 has been delayed to 2027, with developer Chris Roberts insisting it wouldn't get the attention it deserves because of Grand Theft Auto 6.

In a new blog post, Cloud Imperium Games CEO Chris Roberts announced that Squadron 42 will be launching in Q2 2027. The studio had previously announced 2026 as its release window and reaffirmed late last year that it was still targeting that. However, Roberts noted that GTA 6 is going to suck up all of the attention this fall, and as a result, it doesn't make sense to launch a new game during that time.

"At CitizenCon 2024, we announced we would ship in 2026. Our plan was to release in Q4 around IAE," said Roberts. "But much like the rest of the industry there is no way I want to launch my spiritual successor to Wing Commander, a game that has had twelve years of blood, sweat and tears invested into it (we started Squadron 42 development in 2014 as 2013 was opening studios, hiring people and getting the Hangar module out for Star Citizen) launching into the attention buzz saw of GTA 6. While GTA 6 isn’t launching on PC this November, pretty much all outlets and most content creators will be all over it, not leaving a lot of room for other coverage."

Roberts went on to note that CIG will be doing previews of Squadron 42 with content creators and early backers in October, which it will use as an opportunity to announce release plans with a concrete date to follow "shortly" afterwards. Q2 would place Squadron 42 sometime during the spring, so long as nothing changes between now and then.

Squadron 42 has been in development for over a decade now, almost as long as Star Citizen itself. The game has been delayed numerous times, but promises an ambitious story and gameplay experience. It also boasts an absurdly star-studded cast including Gary Oldman, Mark Hamill, Henry Cavill, Andy Serkis, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Strong, and many, many others. The cast may have expanded well beyond those names over the years as well.

Roberts had also previously stated that he hopes that Squadron 42's release will be as big of an event as GTA 6, noting that it's probably the biggest-budget game behind Rockstar's open-world crime epic. Star Citizen crossed the $1 billion mark earlier this year when it comes to funding, and there aren't many other games that can rival a budget like that.

The delay announcement comes hot on the heels of a disastrous Star Citizen developer livestream that went radically off the rails. After early access players complained of bugs and issues with a new update to the game, the developers held a stream to show the "intended" version of the experience, only to be met with the same issues, if not worse. It led to passive-aggressive comments between the developers themselves and an uncomfortable tension in the air. Many have wondered if Star Citizen will ever actually properly release and that broadcast didn't help with those concerns.

Star Citzen itself remains without a release window.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

I'm so, so glad I avoided the GTA 6 leaks. Grand Theft Auto has been one of my favorite franchises since GTA 3 convinced me to buy a PS2 with its paradigm-shifting open-world gameplay. That's continued with every major release since, most recently with 2013's Grand Theft Auto 5, which I personally regard as one of the ten greatest games ever made.

So to say I've been hyped up for GTA 6 – and for today’s Extended Look – would be putting it mildly. Thirteen years is a long time between entries (for context, the previous longest wait between mainline entries was the five years between 4 and 5), and though Rockstar made a generationally incredible game in the intervening years in the form of Red Dead Redemption 2, I've always been more of a GTA guy.

When the clock struck 12pm, I hit Play on Netflix. My jaw hit the floor very quickly, and I didn't pick it back up for 27 minutes. The first thing that jumped out at me was the lighting. The softness of the dynamic lighting added a layer of realism to what's on the screen in a way that is simultaneously both subtle and jarring with how much it adds to every scene. And I do mean every scene, from the grimy apartment building the demo starts out in to the rooftop bar under the golden glow of Vice City's afternoon sunshine, the lighting was the first "holy sh*t" moment for me.

The next thing that floored me – and again, it's kind of subtle – is the UI, or rather, the lack of it. At first I thought Rockstar had it turned off to add to the cinematic flair of this Extended Look, but it turns out that, nope, it was on the whole time. Instead, Rockstar has stripped the UI to the bare minimum in order to add to the realism that the absolutely insane graphics produce. Small, simple prompts appear only when needed. And yes, the classic GTA mini-map still lives in the lower-left corner of the screen, but apparently only when you're out in the open world. I absolutely adore this minimalist approach to UI.

How about the attention to detail? My goodness it was everywhere. Jason doesn't just pet the dog, it jumps up on his legs. Jason and Lucia hold hands when heading to a meeting. Lucia's blood splatters on the wall behind her when she gets attacked, but not in the usual comically over-the-top way we see in video games. The way the BMW look-alike's convertible top retracted back after our anti-heroes started driving. I could go on and on just from this 27-minute demo.

Since I've purposely avoided the leaks, I still have no idea how large Leonida is, and I don't want to know until I finally get my hands on it in 84 days from now (not that I'm counting or anything...). There is so much left to discover and soak in. And that’s the best part.

For me, a huge part of the reason I love Grand Theft Auto so much is that it has continually raised the bar for what's possible in a blockbuster video game. What other developers – even incredibly talented ones – at other studios can't do, Rockstar can. Because Rockstar doesn't have a limited budget. It doesn't have limited time. The runaway success of its catalog of games, which very much includes the money-printing ATM that is GTA 5 Online, allows them to say yes to everything and say no to nothing.

One of my favorite anecdotes from my time playing GTA 5 is the odd shuttle bus I once stumbled upon in Vinewood. Pressing Y to board it, my Michael sat down and a "tour of the stars' homes" started, complete with voiced narration by a tour guide. This wasn't a mission. It wasn't marked on the map. I imagine that the majority of players never find it, because it's not called out in any way. Our first proper look at GTA 6 suggests that there are probably going to be a lot more things like that hiding inside of Leonida.

I have played thousands of games in my life, and I have never seen anything like Grand Theft Auto 6. Somehow, my sky-high expectations and hype level have been not only met but exceeded. Let's all enjoy this moment, both now and when we finally get our hands on this thing on November 19. They don't come around very often.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, and a co-host of Next-Gen Console Watch. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Summer isn't quite over yet and in some parts of the country we're well into the hottest temps of the year. One simple and inexpensive way to beat the sweltering heat is to get yourself a portable fan. Neck fans have recently become very popular, but some people don't like the feeling of something bulky weighing down on their shoulders and crowding the neck. An equally effective and less intrusive solution is a portable fan like this one. Amazon is currently offering Amazon Prime members the Diveblues Portable Turbo Fan in Versailles Rose (aka pink) for $9.99 after you apply 50% off coupon code "7C3HYVDF". You don't need to be an Amazon Prime member to get this deal.

Diveblues Portable Turbo Fan for $9.99

A return to Vice City has been a long time coming. And, from what we’ve seen of GTA 6 so far, it will at least partially feel like a homecoming for those of us who were there for Rockstar’s iconic PS2 tribute to Scarface. The 1980s may now be so far in the rear-view that our new protagonists weren’t even alive to see them, but there’s still echoes of the synthwave decade on the city’s streets: a retro Grotti Cheetah, neon-lit hotels overlooking the boardwalk, Phil Cassidy selling lethal merchandise, and a certain Vercetti Estate. It’s clear that Rockstar intends to spend at least a little time reveling in our nostalgia for Vice City.

But while it may be set in Leonida’s most immoral metropolis, what we’ve seen so far of GTA 6’s high-bar ambition suggests that it may ultimately feel more like a successor to 2004’s San Andreas than Vice City, at least in one very particular way. During a hands-off gameplay demo at Rockstar’s studio in Edinburgh, we spotted something very interesting: GTA 6 tracks an array of statistics for its two lead characters, including height, weight, sleep, nutrition, calories, shape, muscle, fat, and strength.

Rockstar North’s co-studio head, Rob Nelson, didn’t tell us much about these stats, but he did give us some minor insights into how they impact GTA 6’s overall design. “Eating has quite a dramatic effect on your health,” he revealed. “You’ll gain quite a substantial buff, so it can be useful.” He also confirmed that overeating will cause Jason and Lucia to put on weight.

“We do have gyms where you can go and work out, so you can go up in levels of muscularity or strength,” Nelson added. “You can go to the gym as Jason and Lucia together. You can go to the gym alone obviously, but if you go together, they’ll both start working out and you can get a 2-for-one to manage their stats.”

There is still much we don’t know about the system behind GTA 6’s character stats. But what I can say is that there’s a clear link between them and the RPG-style attributes that quite literally shaped San Andreas’ protagonist, CJ.

Launching just two years after Vice City, San Andreas was somehow astronomically more advanced than its predecessor despite running on the same hardware. Rather than a digital playground to commit pretend crimes in, Rockstar’s final mainline GTA of the PS2 era was a painstakingly crafted simulation of reality. At the time it was unprecedented: NPCs would comment on your appearance, car, or even odour with alarmingly authentic quips; gangs dynamically assaulted, seized, and subsequently lost turf; all 212 vehicles had their own individual physics and handling properties. The most prominent of these many sim-style ideas, though, were the bars that measured CJ’s key attributes of respect, stamina, muscle, fat, and sex appeal.

More important was the way your decisions affected those stats. Eat too many burgers and CJ would grow fat, damaging his health and running speed. Dedicate time to lifting weights and his muscles would become more defined and his punches deadlier. Push yourself on the treadmill and his stamina would increase. Wear stylish clothes and improve your personal grooming and the ladies would be more easily wooed.

These RPG-style attributes proved a little controversial back in 2004. Why would you want to hammer out all those quick-time events in the gym when you could be completing missions? Why do you need to watch your weight in a game that’s supposed to be escapist fantasy? Unsurprisingly, they were dropped for Grand Theft Auto 4 and 5. But, 14 years later, they quietly found their way into Red Dead Redemption 2, which saw Rockstar return to its ambition of a simulation-driven open world. Being over or underweight impacted Arthur Morgan’s health, making it harder to recover from wounds and regain stamina. In a world where eating food is the main source of health recovery, maintaining a balanced diet is one of RDR 2’s most unusual challenges. And now it seems a similar level of health simulation will be part of Grand Theft Auto 6, too.

Like CJ and Arthur Morgan, it appears that Lucia and Jason are characters sculpted by the activities you put them through. During our gameplay demo, we saw that running would occasionally prompt a “cardio workout” pop-up to display on screen. Food was also marked with either a heart or a lightning bolt – the very same icons used for RDR 2’s health and stamina systems. With the menu tracking the likes of calories, fat, and muscle, it seems very likely that the physical shape of our characters will be determined by what we put in their mouths and the physical movements we dictate.

Looking at both how Red Dead and San Andreas handled their respective attributes, we can guess as to what these stats tell us about GTA 6. Nutrition and calories point to every food item having some kind of numeric value that either positively or negatively impacts your protagonist’s stats, and there being some level of required nutrition to remain in “peak” condition. Calories would logically be linked to the fat stat, and so it seems sensible to expect that the weight gained from overeating will reflect the calorie content of the food we choose to eat.

However, while calories are involved in weight gain, they are also fundamental to staying alive and bulking up. I assume Rockstar isn’t leaning into the survival genre for GTA, and so you likely won’t starve to death by not eating, but I think there’s every chance you’ll need to eat to allow your characters to build muscle and strength when at the gym – the very inclusion of which point to a return of the exercise mini-games from San Andreas.

Finally, the sleep stat points to the idea that we may well need to get some shut-eye to stay in good condition. Perhaps, like RDR 2, regular sleep will keep our key stat “cores” (or GTA’s equivalent) topped up and allow us to recover health and stamina over time without the need to find restorative items.

It’s a risky business to include this kind of stat-driven simulation in what will undoubtedly be the most mass-market video game of all time. The average GTA 6 player likely won’t even know their character attributes are there, never mind that they’re tracked and actively change their in-world avatars. It’s backfired before, and it’s likely that GTA 6’s stats will be much more complex and nuanced than San Andreas’ controversial attributes. But, considering the triumph that was Red Dead Redemption 2’s unparalleled simulation of life in the old west, I can’t wait to see how Rockstar have applied those ideas to a couple of criminals trying to make a living in Vice City.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.

We just got our most detailed look at Grand Theft Auto 6, and one thing is clear: it's a love story. One with a happy ending? That remains to be seen, but the couple dynamic alone is one of the most interesting things Rockstar Games has ever done.

It’s not that the duo of Lucia and Jason demonstrate unprecedented novelty or wild technical ambition — the series already proved it could successfully handle multiple protagonists with Trevor, Michael, and Franklin — it's that Rockstar has taken on one of the trickiest relationships to convey in gaming and made it the heart of the story. Games are notoriously bad at romance; you're either hammering simp-coded dialogue options to win the affection of another party member or watching awkward cinematics that are about as sexy as an afternoon at the podiatrist. If anyone can pull it off, though, it's Rockstar.

The new trailer shows us glimpses of Lucia and Jason working together on main story missions, but I was able to see more interesting elements of their partnership during a gameplay demo at Rockstar’s studio. In this new footage, I found that their relationship is represented in many small ways and not just them having each other’s back during bombastic shootouts. You can walk around holding hands, buy your lover a sandwich, and go shopping together to add some more clothes to your wardrobe.

"You manage the relationship in the way you hopefully nurture any relationship — which is by spending time together," Rob Nelson, Head of Development and Co-Studio Head at Rockstar North, told us. "So being in the open world and exploring together or doing activities together — playing pool or mini golf or kayaking; normal slice of life things. Or, robbing stores together, robbing banks together. However players want to spend that time together, it will have a positive impact on the relationship."

My Love Language is Felonies

I love the introduction of a true couple dynamic. From the interactions I saw, this isn't a campaign-long escort mission or one character playing sidekick to another. They have different but equally powerful skill sets — Lucia has kickboxer training, for example — and have their own routines when apart, and so they feel like two individuals rather than one protagonist that's been hacked in half and sent on its way.

But an authentic depiction of romance is just the mechanical foundation. Being a couple working together for a taste of the good life gives the story an emotional hook that the series hasn't had before. Every crime, no matter how unhinged, is a step towards a better life together, not just one on the path towards avaricious madness. Think Bonnie and Clyde or True Romance, two people striving for the same goal, and to hell with everyone else. Suddenly, no matter how minor the crime — holding up a Waffle House or smacking around some douchebag bro type on the beach to loot him for $12 — has an emotional stake, not just a chaotic one.

The small things matter too, like staying in touch, as anyone who has ignored multiple texts from a partner while on a night out will tell you. Even if you stick to playing one character as much as possible, the other will still be out there in the world.

"You can text the other character — Jason or Lucia — at any point or you can call them. It's quite cool when you text back and forth," says Nelson.

"If you want to just spend the whole day out on your own as one of the characters, that’s fine. The other one will text you: ‘Hey, I'm going to go to bed to lock up, you OK?’ All you need to do is respond, ‘I’ll see you later,’ or, ‘OK, goodnight,’ and that's good enough. If you don't bother to even respond it may impact your relationship a bit."

Fighter Not a Lover

That said, I'm pleased that engaging with the mechanics of being a couple seems to be optional in every way that matters. Their partnership is, of course, central to the narrative and so will inevitably be a component in many of the story’s missions. But the amount of effort you put into maintaining their romance and roleplaying a couple is, according to Rockstar, entirely up to you.

"Could we bring some sort of emotional resonance to GTA for people if they wanted to engage with it?” asks Nelson. “Could we also provide mechanisms for people to just opt out of it if they're not into it? If they feel like ‘I don't want a relationship in this?’ That's what we're going to find out. It's not something that we want to foist upon players."

It’s the right call. Not only are romantic stories divisive — even just a few years ago I was venomously opposed to the genre — but even if you are a fan, finding couples and relationships that resonate with everyone? That's impossible. Seriously, check out the romance section of any bookstore; there's everything from cute and cuddly to monster sex. I'd rather have a GTA that no one felt alienated by than a system that forced players to smooch to finish the game.

Speaking of smooching, it sounds like Rockstar isn't going to get too down and dirty with the physical side of the relationship. Nelson explained that Rockstar didn't want to create a weird caricature of intimacy, a trap so many games have fallen into before.

"These characters feel very right together — they really do,” he says. “For anybody that wants to play around with the idea of role playing their relationship, it's amazing. So many people on the team have connected with the characters. But physical intimacy is a huge part of a relationship, and so it has to be done right. Like anything that we do, we have to iterate and try things and iterate on it until we figure out what feels right."

So Rockstar has written a couple that works on a bunch of levels, and all of them seem pretty positive at the outset. Personally, as a dark romance reader, I like my stories with a generous serving of toxicity and at least one Mafia love interest, but I think Rockstar has made the right call in giving Lucia and Jason a healthy, if felony-inclined, relationship. The world of Grand Theft Auto is one that has always welcomed experimentation, and I wouldn't want to see what the internet could come up with if it were allowed to go ham on these two precious angel babies.

"You will always have the benefit of working together and having each other's back — whether they're romantically close or not doesn't change that,” says Nelson. “They will still work together. It's really about what you want for them, their story, and how it plays out."

My only worry? As someone who cried over Red Dead Redemption 2's ending — a reaction to a game only Rockstar has ever been able to pull from my cold dead heart — there's so much potential for heartbreak no matter how much effort you put into the relationship. Rockstar likes you to make big choices — think of Niko Bellic's dilemma at the end of GTA 4 — and it's not always clear what the consequences will be until you're staring slack-jawed at the final cutscene. A couple might mean more emotionally engaging storytelling, but a couple also has so many ways to screw, screw up, or screw each other over that the risk of sobbing into my DualSense is high.

Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released on November 19.

Rachel Weber is the Head of Editorial Development at IGN and an elder millennial. She's been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, Red Dead Redemption 2, and her Love and Deepspace boyfriends.

Rockstar's hugely-impressive first look at GTA 6 is being celebrated online, as today's Grand Theft Auto 6: Extended Look presentation has now debuted via Netflix.

Fans, streamers and game developers alike have heaped praise on the footage, with numerous comments calling out the game's highly-detailed character design and animation, as well as the sheer wealth of activities on display.

If you're still waiting for the footage to drop more widely beyond Netflix, we have guide to when the Extended Look will debut more widely in your timezone. Or scroll downwards, and take in some of the reactions to it now to whet your appetite:

GTA VI LOOKS INSANE pic.twitter.com/VV59nW4OmX

— Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) August 27, 2026

IShowSpeed couldn’t believe GTA 6 added streamers into the game pic.twitter.com/HDkPHoRLOH

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) August 27, 2026

What did I just watch? That world looked so lived in, I almost don't want to know how it was made.

Some incredible NPC behaviour 👏🏿#GTAVI

— Inel Tomlinson (@inel) August 27, 2026

Well as expected. The attention to detail in GTA 6 is staggering. The Floridian in me is pleased.

— Gothalion (@Gothalion) August 27, 2026

GTA 6 is so interesting because while it’s everything i’ve ever prayed it would be for the last decade, it’s also just a outrageous level up that my mind can’t comprehend

It’s those gameplay features. The breathing visuals. Everything that makes the world feel alive. To say it’s… pic.twitter.com/ReeA49DUwU

— Craig (@CS11__) August 27, 2026

Thoughts on the gameplay: GTA 6 is going to be the greatest game of all time.

This is the most detailed, gorgeous open world ever created with gameplay that is far more involved, fun and polished than any other Rockstar game. They just showed the most alive, most dense, most… pic.twitter.com/AXrU7LgHmf

— Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) August 27, 2026

The animation quality and ambition in this GTAVI footage is mind-blowingly good. So hard to do that level of quality or even try that. Also both lead characters I’m feeling their vibe. I love Miami so seeing so many familiar locations was awesome.

— Thomas Puha (@RiotRMD) August 27, 2026

The resemblance is uncanny… #gtavı pic.twitter.com/sYRvvrMTBl

— Kat Osman (@katosman) August 27, 2026

Hey we got the full Netflix special on DVD if you wanna come over and watch it. pic.twitter.com/5mVjvzy7Hz

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) August 27, 2026

For all of the biggest reveals from tonight's Extended Look, be sure to catch up with our GTA 6 reveal live blog, as well as our full preview coverage from IGN's own trip to see Grand Theft Auto 6, exclusive interview with Rockstar, and 69 GTA 6 details we learned during our visit.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Grand Theft Auto 6 will take a while for players to finish, with the game's producer stating it took him 80 hours.

In an The New York Times interview, Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson revealed that it took him about 80 hours to finish the game in February. He noted that included the main story and some "optional goals with narrative ramifications," it's unclear if that included just mucking about in the open world or anything, though. Still, that is a sizable length regardless. Nelson ultimately hopes fans take their time with the game and don't rush through it.

For comparison, GTA 4 and 5 are around 30 hours long, while Red Dead Redemption 2 is around 50-60 hours. So, that means GTA 6 will be the longest of Rockstar's games to date, which will be reassuring for fans who have waited a long time for this game. Assuming 80 hours doesn't include the time for 100% completion, there will still be plenty of ways to extend your time with the game.

Grand Theft Auto 6 has no shortage of open-world activities, including basketball, fishing, exercising, and much more. There will also likely be a plethora of side missions for players to indulge in, so it seems like we'll all be playing GTA 6 for a long time. Red Dead Redemption 2 has kept players very active thanks to its level of depth and detail, thanks to unique NPCs, hidden details, and side content.

In case your appetite for GTA 6 content hasn't been satiated yet, IGN has no shortage of GTA 6 coverage. That includes an exclusive preview of the game, our own interview with Rob Nelson, and all kinds of breakdowns regarding new gameplay details, songs, and more.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6: Extended Look has shown off almost 30 minutes of GTA 6 footage, and among the lengthy clips of missions, we've also seen some of the side activities you'll likely spend hours getting distracted by.

Some of these look to be full mini-games, such as a clip of a rally racing track we were treated to at one point, while others just look to be fun extras you can just do for the hell of it — such as acquiring base-jumping equipment and leaping off very tall buildings.

Here's everything we've seen so far:

• riding electric scooters
• playing basketball
• cave diving
• mini golf
• lifting weights to work out
• jet skiing
• kayaking
• throwing money in a strip club
• playing pool
• rally races
• sunbathing
• studying animals
• backyard wrestling
• airboating
• going to a shooting range
• dirt bike races
• base-jumping and parachuting
• watching TV

Spotted more? Let us know in the comments!

For all of the biggest reveals from tonight's Extended Look, be sure to catch up with our GTA 6 reveal live blog, as well as our full preview coverage from IGN's own trip to see Grand Theft Auto 6, exclusive interview with Rockstar, and 69 GTA 6 details we learned during our visit.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

There are dozens of mechanics, ideas, and quirks that are considered core to Grand Theft Auto’s identity. The wide variety of vehicles; a cast of oddball criminals; radio stations playing hit after hit after hit; toilet humour packed into every billboard, product brand, and TV ad. But there’s one thing arguably more foundational than all those ideas, something that the entire concept of GTA was built upon: car chases. Since the very beginning, the series’ central hook has been committing crimes and getting away with it. The “getting away” part has, more often than not, been literal – tearing through the city streets as cops do everything in their power to put you behind bars.

Those chases, inspired by cinema’s best getaways, are manifested by Grand Theft Auto’s wanted system – an escalating state of emergency that sees the city’s police force deploy fiercer and fiercer measures as the severity of your crimes increases. Originally represented by four pixelated police heads, it evolved into the trademark star system – a single star causing just a couple of beat cops to investigate a pedestrian collision or break up an unarmed assault, and racking up a full six stars summoning a battalion of militarised law enforcement with the goal of putting an end to your unstoppable murder spree. The system has changed and advanced with each new game, and that evolution does not stop with GTA 6.

After Grand Theft Auto 5 dropped the number of stars by one to both streamline the system and match the five in the title, GTA 6 sees the full six stars returned to the HUD for the first time since 2009’s Chinatown Wars. While it’s still much too early to know the nuanced criteria for triggering each of those stars, during our hands-off demo at Rockstar’s Edinburgh HQ we saw that there are several new factors involved beyond the individual wanted levels themselves.

“We have this heat system,” explains Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North. “[The police] know what I look like and what I’m wearing. [If I find] a pair of glasses – I'll put on this and this baseball hat. But they still know what I'm wearing, so I would need to go to a clothing store or call my personal vehicle, which has changes of outfits in the trunk.”

“Changing your hair will change your appearance,” he continues, “but the police will still know what you are wearing, so not great if I am standing out in the open.”

Sitting beneath the row of wanted stars on the HUD are a series of new red icons, each of which identifies the level of information the police have on you. So far, we’ve seen three:

• A silhouette of a person indicates that the police have a physical description of you.
• A clothes hanger denotes that the police know what clothing you are wearing.
• A camera means that the police have witnessed you on CCTV security footage.

It appears the system goes even deeper than that, though. “You can see with these little icons on-screen, the police know what we're driving,” says Nelson, “so we should just jump out the vehicle. They also know we're a couple. You could split up, and that will also help lower the police’s perception of you.”

These factors add new layers to GTA’s foundational wanted system. Naturally, they influence the way the police force’s artificial intelligence is able to track you through the state of Leonida.

“The Wanted system in GTA 6 requires that someone witness the crime, or an alarm needs to be set off for it to be reported to the law,” Nelson explains. “Our dispatch is extremely specific in what it knows.”

The more information the police have, the easier it will be for them to find you. While our hands-off didn’t delve into the depths of how it all works, the possibilities are already dizzying – could Rockstar have gone as far as to create a system where cops can build a profile of you via Snapmatic and Lifeinvader photos posted by Vice City’s social media-obsessed public? GTA 5’s pedestrians were able to call 911 from their phones to report crimes that went unwitnessed by law enforcement, so it seems realistic to believe that the wider population will impact the wanted system in additional ways this time around.

Regardless of how deep the individual mechanics go, it’s clear that Rockstar intends to ratchet up the tension of each and every getaway. You’re not just wanted by the cops, but actively hunted by a force that can utilize multiple information sources and data points to narrow their search. It’s a natural evolution of Red Dead Redemption 2’s bounty system brought into the modern world — and the similarities don’t stop there. As in Red Dead, you become wanted in specific regions of the world, and returning to that area will see you face the consequences.

“I can check my map – this is a hot area,” says Nelson. “The cops are there. If I go back, they'll be hanging around for a little while. If I hover back over that area of the map, I [can see I] still have one star in that area.”

“We could wait for it to die down, change our outfits, or split Jason and Lucia up. There’s a lot of smart things we could do.”

The most fascinating aspect of this system is not the apparent enhancements to police AI routines, though, but the promise of new gameplay opportunities. GTA’s police have long been able to recognise your vehicle, and a quick stop-off at the local Pay ‘n’ Spray was a fast-pass to douse the heat. But now that applies to our human protagonists – in our demo we watched as Jason purchased a baseball cap from a convenience store, which when worn removed the “description” icon from the HUD. But it didn’t remove the “clothing” icon, which indicates the system’s depth – Jason was still wearing the same clothes and could still be identified by them, but the addition of the hat meant the cops’ physical description of him was now out of date. If only gifting Arthur Morgan mutton chops granted him the same peace of mind.

It’s exciting to consider all the possibilities we will have to bamboozle the cops: stopping by the salon after a bank robbery to turn a gorgeous hairstyle into a buzz cut. Pre-packing a complete change of clothes in your getaway vehicle. Getting a full-body tattoo after an assassination. Okay, maybe that last one is a bit much, but you get the idea. In GTA 6, reducing your wanted level is about far more than evading the cops – you can actively put them off your scent.

The other thing to think about is that these new layers mean how you commit a crime is just as important as the crime itself. If being seen, either by people or CCTV cameras, arms your hunters with information, then denying them those descriptions potentially lends you a significant advantage. This makes stealth a valuable weapon – during the demo we saw Jason crouch to keep out of a police officer’s line of sight, and so we can reasonably assume that we’ll also be able to avoid the gaze of security guards, civilians, and cameras. Tactically eliminating CCTV networks or patrolling wardens before they can call in reports feel like scenarios that GTA’s new wanted system could encourage, especially considering there’s a new type of wanted level that would fit into this scenario. A “hollow” wanted star is displayed when the police are responding to a crime but have no information who the perpetrator is. Denying the flow of incriminating data to ensure you only trigger hollow wanted stars is an idea to build an entire gameplay approach around – I’m excited to see just how deep it all goes.

For the more aggressive players out there, we’ve also seen that the mask system is back, and it’ll presumably build upon the rules established in Red Dead Redemption 2 – cover your face, protect your identity, give the cops a bad day at the office. While a quieter, more tactical approach could perhaps allow you to slip in and out without raising the alarm, this is still GTA, and so there’s going to be some mayhem. A mask – be it a securely-tied bandana or a rubbery famous face – will at least limit the details your victims can report to your hunters.

But even in moments of direct confrontation, there are ways to ensure the subsequent manhunt goes in your favour. ”There is more nuance to how you can get away with things,” says Nelson. A good example of this is the way NPCs respond to threats – in our demo we watched as Jason aimed a gun at a group of aggressors, but held short of pulling the trigger. Rather than just default to engaging in violence, the enemies thought better of it and fled the scene. While the crime was reported and the police were on their way, they weren't responding to a violent crime, and so the wanted level stayed low.

“I aimed the gun at the person, which defused the situation and they all ran,” Nelson explains. “If you commit a crime and run, get into trouble and move on before the cops get there, and you don’t start shooting people, don't start escalating, you’re generally going to be fine.”

The changes made to the wanted system tie into the larger picture of Rockstar’s intent for Grand Theft Auto 6 – this is the GTA you know and love, but each part of it has additional layers that allow you to drill deeper than you ever have before. We already know that the series’ core formula, established way back in its first 3D open world, has stood the test of time not just because it's a bulletproof idea, but because each new game has carefully reinforced it. By enhancing the wanted system, as well as interlinked mechanics like car jacking, Rockstar is making sure that in GTA 6, the things you’ve done a million times before have the potential to feel brand new.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.

Ever since the first game launched back in 1997, Grand Theft Auto’s titular crime has been a fairly simple process: tap one button and someone else’s car is now yours. Almost 30 years later, GTA 6 is set to change that completely, introducing a tiered vehicle security system, a varied set of tools to steal them with, and new ways to profit from each theft directly. Let’s look at the details of how it all works in Rockstar’s latest, as well as theorise about what it could all mean for other styles of robbery, including liquor store hold-ups and big bank heists.

Long-term GTA fans will be more than familiar with how stealing a car has worked in the series thus far. You walk up to your desired wheels and simply press a button to open a door left carelessly unlocked, or smash through the window with your elbow to enter better secured vehicles. That simplicity won’t be going away completely in GTA 6, it appears, with older, less desirable vehicles still vulnerable to swift methods of entry, such as a quick slim jim forced into the window gap and under the lock. But other, much more high-end motors will come packed with added security layers that introduce new gameplay challenges, asking players to flex unfamiliar muscles when it comes to jacking cars.

“We have put some layers of stratification into the vehicles,” explains Rob Nelson, co-studio head of Rockstar North. “Previously, you could just press triangle to automatically hotwire and steal any vehicle that you wanted and take off. We felt like that left a lot of potential gameplay on the table, in terms of progression and decision-making for players. I think it gives all the vehicles more meaning, and you need to pay attention to what you’re doing a bit more.”

But how will you know which cars will be harder to crack than others? Well, apart from passing a quick eye test of being able to distinguish a rusty old white van from a straight off the production line Grotti sports car, you’ll need to take advantage of a new bit of GTA 6 tech: the WAINK scanner.

Get within range of any vehicle that takes your fancy, and you’ll be able to hold your device up to get all of the relevant information. Chief among these details are its security system and value. We don’t yet know how many car security tiers there’ll be, but what we do know is that some will be protected digitally, as GTA catches up with the modern age of electronic keys. That means you’ll need a digital key cloning device in order to unlock some car doors, but that piece of kit will come at a cost, with it needing to be acquired first. Some tools will only unlock after a certain point in the story, and it’s a clear sign that GTA 6 is aiming to evolve its gameplay opportunities over the course of the game. It’s all in service of adding levels of complexity to binary actions.

But technology can also work against you. Even if you manage to get behind the wheel of your chosen target, that car may be fitted with a tracker — some advanced versions of which reveal your location to law enforcement if you drive below a certain speed, meaning you need to put your foot down to avoid hearing sirens. Not only will it draw police attention your way if the car is reported as stolen, but, in theory, any prospective buyer worth its name in salt would want it removed before you cash in. This ties into another layer of GTA 6’s enhanced simulation – you’ll be able to visit a fence and sell any vehicle you’ve stolen. Yes, Rockstar is borrowing from its previous game, Red Dead Redemption 2, albeit you’ll be hunting metal beasts rather than taking down meaty big bucks for big bucks. And Arthur Morgan never had to worry about GPS trackers ruining the value of his finds.

But perhaps you aren’t stealing a car with pure profit foremost in mind, but instead just fancy making it your own. Well, the WAINK scanner (yes, it’s really called that and I have no idea what that acronym stands for right now) also tells you how much it will cost to register that car as your own. GTA 6 will allow Jason and Lucia to each own multiple personal vehicles, provided you have the cash and garage space.

Both of these new systems — tiered security and fencing — open up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to mission design in GTA 6. Don’t be surprised to see more organic, emergent solutions to mission objectives appear as you play. For example, the simple fact that many cars can’t be instantly broken into and commandeered makes the act of escape an altogether more frantic endeavor. You might get lucky and slide into an unsecured sedan on the first try, but with the police at your back, you’re realistically not going to have the time to stop and scan the area for the perfect getaway vehicle. It all builds into Rockstar’s intention for you to spend more time scurrying away on foot or changing methods of transport on the fly, with the narrower Leonida streets helping generate exciting desperation and unexpected thrills.

“The streets in this game are narrower, and more realistic in terms of scale”, Nelson explains. “Which, in addition to all the density of the traffic on the roads, makes driving slightly more challenging and requires a bit of skill.”

That more organic approach to moment-to-moment action could extend to specific styles of mission, too. Not an insignificant amount of time in both GTA 5 and GTA Online is spent reclaiming cars for Simeon, Franklin’s original employer. These primarily serve as simple, introductory quests to the world of San Andreas and its gameplay fundamentals, but in GTA 6, the framework of similar jobs could become a lot more rewarding with these additional layers of complexity.

Rather than simply placing a marker on your map to drive to and demanding you deliver a predetermined vehicle back to whoever requires it, the possibilities have now opened up, thanks to the WAINK scanner. In theory, you could be asked to find a specific brand of car around the world, or one of a specific value, and use this newfound technology to go on a miniature treasure hunt. Doing so would embed us further into GTA 6’s world and allow us to spend less time following markers and traced lines along roads on a mini map. Being able to take this newly procured car to any fence on the map would also help mix things up, rather than the tedium that zooming along the same few streets back to Simeon’s in Los Santos could become.

But perhaps most exciting is how these systems could translate into GTA 6’s bigger, high-stakes missions. In theory, the back rooms of small stores could be easily broken into, with the minimal spoils waiting there, yours to take. But what about big banks or heavily guarded facilities? Surely some more advanced tech will need to be employed here to crack safes or bypass locked doors. If you don’t have the right tools for the job, such as the aforementioned key cloning device, then does that limit what you’ll take away from a score, or potentially make missions branch in interesting ways? These are all choices that will seemingly add up over the course of GTA 6, and the repercussions could range from short-term problems such as an increased wanted level, to permanently damaging Jason and Lucia’s relationship.

Stealing cars has been at the core of Grand Theft Auto for almost three decades now, but this fundamental change to how it all works is as exciting a change as Rockstar has made in that time. I can’t wait to get my hands on it and see for myself just how much it opens up its world and the possibilities within it.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Rockstar Games' first official extended look at Grand Theft Auto 6 featured a lot of licensed music, and we've got the list of every song it featured right here.

Grand Theft Auto games are known for having killer soundtracks, and GTA 6 will be no different. That much was clear from today's 26-minute gameplay debut, with tracks from rock, rap, and everything in between shown off.

We watched the big Netflix reveal along with everyone else and managed to catch the full list of tracks for your listening pleasure. You can see every song featured in the GTA 6 extended look below.

Pop Bottles – Birdman, Lil Wayne

Pound Town – Sexyy Red, Tay Keith

Skrilla – Kodak Black

Let Your Love Flow – The Bellamy Brothers

Love Bites – Def Leppard

People Are People - Depeche Mode

But I Think It's a Dream – Captain & Tennille

Cars and Girls – Prefab Sprout

Off the Grid – Chk Chk Chk (!!!) (feat. Meah Pace)

Devil Woman – Cliff Richard

Se Me Nota (Agarrame) Prod by B-One – Chimbala, Omega

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) – Phil Collins

Mine O' Mine – Aluna, Jayda G

Inner Light – Elderbrook, Bob Moses

Of course, the GTA 6 extended look had a lot more than music to show off, too. This preview of what 13 years of waiting will give players also came with a fresh look at a smorgasbord of side activities, shootouts, car chases, and story moments to sink our teeth into, too.

Another update for the long-awaited sixth Grand Theft Auto game includes the promise that a story playthrough will be about 80 hours long. IGN also got an early sneak peek, so be sure to check out our preview and interview.

Protagonists Jason and Lucia will have plenty to listen to when GTA 6 launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S November 19, 2026. For more, you can check out everything revealed during the big reveal showcase here.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

If you weren't satisfied with the HP OMEN 35L deal I covered earlier, then here's one more solid deal I found on an RTX 5080 gaming PC. The only caveat is that this deal won't last for much longer. For today only, Best Buy is offering the iBuyPower Slate GeForce RTX 5080 gaming PC for just $2,499.99 with free shipping. Not only is it equipped with a powerful GPU that can run games in 4K with ease, it also features 32GB of DDR5 memory and a generous 2TB SSD.

Today Only: iBuyPower Slate RTX 5080 Gaming PC for $2,500