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Grand Theft Auto VI Extended Look Was Only Part of the Reveal
After years of carefully controlled trailers, Rockstar Games has finally shown us what Grand Theft Auto VI actually looks like in action. The GTA VI: An Extended Look premiered on Netflix on August 27 before making its way to Rockstar’s own channels, delivering around 26 minutes of in-game footage captured on PlayStation 5.
It is easily the most substantial official look at Leonida yet, moving between missions, exploration, police pursuits and the considerably quieter moments Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos share together. Yet, somehow, that was only part of what Rockstar revealed.
IGN separately visited Rockstar North, spoke with Co-Head of Development Rob Nelson and watched an extended gameplay demonstration, subsequently identifying 69 new gameplay details covering everything from relationships and robberies to vehicle theft, NPC behaviour and Rockstar’s completely reworked approach to law enforcement.
Taken together, the Netflix footage and IGN’s reporting paint a much more interesting picture. GTA VI is obviously bigger and prettier than its predecessor, but Rockstar appears to be putting just as much effort into making Leonida react to how players choose to live in it.
Jason and Lucia Are More Than Two Playable Characters
One of the clearest differences from Grand Theft Auto V is how closely intertwined Jason and Lucia’s lives are. Players can switch freely between them in the open world, but they can also call or message the other character and ask them to come along. When travelling together, you can even change seats and let your partner drive while you sit back with the radio, or take the passenger seat and handle the shooting during a police chase.
Their relationship goes considerably deeper in GTA VI. According to IGN, Jason and Lucia begin the story interested in pursuing a romantic relationship, but whether that actually develops is up to the player. Spending time together outside missions, shopping, exercising, exploring Leonida or committing crimes can bring them closer, while consistently ignoring messages or spending little time together may have the opposite effect.
Romance does not provide stat bonuses either. It is primarily a role-playing choice, though the strength of their relationship can influence how the pair interacts throughout the story. There are smaller touches too. Jason and Lucia can hold hands, maintain their own daily routines and occasionally remind each other about mundane things like locking up the house before bed. Rockstar may have built a crime epic, but apparently remembering to text your partner back is still important.
Police Actually Need to Know You Committed the Crime
The Wanted system has received one of the biggest overhauls in GTA VI. Crimes no longer automatically summon the police. Someone needs to witness what happened, or an alarm needs to be triggered before law enforcement becomes involved.
Once that happens, responding officers work with the information available to them. Police can receive descriptions of Jason or Lucia, their clothing and vehicles, while a crime scene can remain marked as a hot area after the player has escaped. That creates considerably more room to evade detection.
Masks can stop witnesses or CCTV from providing a clear description, while changing clothes or altering your appearance can help once police know what you look like. Jason and Lucia can even split up during a pursuit, allowing one character to draw attention away while the other escapes. And yes, the six-star Wanted Level is back in GTA VI.
Your Criminal Profile Remembers What Kind of Criminal You Are
Running alongside the Wanted system is something new: the Criminal Profile. IGN describes it as Rockstar’s answer to the Honour system in Red Dead Redemption 2, though without a straightforward good-versus-evil scale. Instead, the GTA VI world takes note of how Jason and Lucia behave outside situations where violence is unavoidable.
Unnecessarily creating chaos can influence that profile, while surprisingly mundane behaviour can push things in the opposite direction. IGN even cites properly throwing away rubbish as an example. Those behavioural patterns can affect how people react to the protagonists during free roaming and may feed back into the wider story.
It suggests Rockstar is interested not simply in whether players commit crimes, because obviously they will, but how they choose to commit them.
Stealing Cars Is No Longer as Simple as Smashing a Window
Considering the name of the series, perhaps the biggest mechanical surprise involves stealing cars. Vehicles now have different security levels in GTA VI. An older car might only require a simple slim jim, while expensive modern vehicles can require more advanced equipment, such as a key cloning device, which is unlocked later through story progression. Some cars may therefore be effectively inaccessible early in the game.
Players can scout vehicles beforehand using an app called WAINK, which provides information including value, security and whether the vehicle is locked, alarmed or fitted with a tracker. Personal vehicles are getting more functionality too. Jason and Lucia can own multiple cars and store equipment, weapons and spare clothing inside their boots.
That spare outfit in GTA VI suddenly becomes considerably more useful when the police know exactly what you were wearing five minutes earlier.
Money Finally Matters Again
Rockstar is also trying to prevent Jason and Lucia from becoming absurdly wealthy too quickly in GTA VI. IGN reports that money will play a greater role in story progression, with some missions requiring players to raise a certain amount of cash before continuing.
That gives robberies, stolen vehicles and smaller criminal opportunities more purpose. Even individual robberies present choices. Blowing open a safe can get players inside quickly but potentially damage the contents, while finding the combination takes longer and increases the chance that police arrive before you escape.
Stolen jewellery and vehicles also need to be taken to appropriate fences rather than magically converting into cash in GTA VI. It is a small shift, but one that could make criminal activity across Leonida feel much more connected to the wider story rather than something players only do between missions.
Leonida Is Built to Distract You
Rockstar’s open worlds have always been good at making a planned five-minute drive turn into an hour of doing something completely unrelated, and GTA VI appears determined to make that problem worse.
The Netflix showcase features basketball, kayaking, scuba diving, races, motorcycles, jet skis, parachuting, and plenty more. IGN adds pool, mini golf, zoo visits, and a wider range of spontaneous activities to that list. Jason or Lucia can even suggest nearby jobs or activities themselves while travelling together, turning an ordinary journey into something else entirely.
NPCs are more reactive as well in GTA VI. They can notice someone eavesdropping, confront the protagonists and trigger unexpected encounters, while some civilians are armed and perfectly willing to escalate an argument themselves.
Character appearance can change based on what players do, too. Exercise increases muscularity and strength, while overeating can result in weight gain. There is a lot of Red Dead Redemption 2 DNA in these systems, except Rockstar is transplanting it into an environment where somebody can pull out a pistol because you looked at them funny outside a convenience store.
Missions Are Giving Players More Choices
Perhaps the most encouraging detail concerns mission design in GTA VI. According to IGN, Rockstar demonstrated missions with multiple escape routes and different ways to divide responsibilities between Jason and Lucia. One encounter let the player decide whether to drive or shoot, while another provided a suggested escape route without forcing players to follow it.
The story itself will also contain decisions both large and small. Some minor choices can add up to greater consequences, while more significant decisions can immediately alter events. Rockstar has apparently designed the narrative with repeat playthroughs in mind.
That freedom may ultimately prove more important than any individual side activity. Grand Theft Auto V already offered three protagonists and several memorable multi-character missions. GTA VI appears to be taking that foundation and asking how much control players can have over the partnership itself.
GTA VI Is Finally Becoming a Game We Can Understand
The Extended Look succeeds because Rockstar has finally moved beyond cinematic promises. Vice City is extraordinarily dense, interiors contain far more detail, crowds fill beaches and streets, and switching between Jason and Lucia appears capable of changing how both missions and ordinary journeys unfold in GTA VI.
The meaningful part is not that Rockstar has added mini golf, working car boots or the ability to hold hands. It is how many of these smaller mechanics seem designed to interact with one another. Steal the wrong car, and it might have a tracker. Commit a crime in front of witnesses, and they can describe you.
Keep the same clothes on and police may recognise you. Bring Lucia along for the robbery and the time spent together can strengthen their relationship. Create unnecessary chaos and your Criminal Profile takes notice. That is the ambition hiding beneath all the spectacular footage.
GTA VI launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. A PC version has yet to be announced.
