Rockstar Games released a lengthy 'extended look' gameplay video via Netflix, followed by hands-off previews from outlets including IGN and GTA YouTuber The Gaming Gorilla, who spoke with Rob Nelson, head of development at Rockstar North. According to Kotaku, GTA 6 is set to launch November 19 on PS5 and Xbox.
One of the biggest changes highlighted across previews is to car theft. For the first time in the series, simply pressing a button will no longer let players hotwire any vehicle. Nelson explained that some cars can be opened with a 'Slim Jim' tool while others require a 'key cloner' to start, and GamesRadar+ reported that using the Slim Jim triggers a lockpicking minigame. Players can still smash windows or carjack drivers directly, but stolen cars may have trackers that police can use, and vehicles must be registered and stored in a garage with limited space or they will vanish. A new in-game phone app called Waink lets players scan cars to see security details, resale value, and registration cost.
GamesRadar+ also detailed an overhauled six-star Wanted system that tracks a player's face, clothes, and car rather than relying on simple cosmetic changes like repainting a vehicle, requiring more deliberate evasion tactics such as switching vehicles. Beyond crime mechanics, GamesRadar+ described protagonists Jason and Lucia as closely interlinked in combat and missions, with role-playing elements affecting their physique and mood based on player choices like diet and activities. Detailed animations, such as carrying stolen loot or reloading one-handed while burdened, are said to tie directly into gameplay rather than being purely cosmetic.
Side activities confirmed across the previews include water sports like jet skiing and kayaking, basketball, diving, gym workouts, VR use, watching in-game TV, car racing, armed robberies, wrestling, dirtbiking, basejumping, clubbing, and a shooting range, according to GamesRadar+. Kotaku also reported a more unusual detail: players can pick up dog feces dropped by NPC dogs and throw it at people, part of a broader system of interactions that Kotaku says feeds into the game's morality-adjacent system encouraging players to be a 'good criminal.' The extended look's soundtrack, compiled by GamesRadar+, includes tracks such as 'Pop Bottles' by Birdman ft. Lil Wayne, 'Pound Town' by Sexyy Red, 'Against All Odds' by Phil Collins, and 'People Are People' by Depeche Mode, alongside earlier trailer songs 'Love is a Long Road' by Tom Petty and 'Hot Together' by The Pointer Sisters.
On the technical side, GamesRadar+ cited analysis from Digital Foundry indicating the game runs at a native 1440p on base PS5, upscaled to 4K, with a stable 30fps and only occasional frame drops. Digital Foundry suggested this level of optimization makes a 60fps console mode 'extremely unlikely,' and that even high-end PCs would need a recent high-end CPU to avoid bottlenecks given the game's CPU demands.
Coverage of the car-theft changes showed some difference in tone: Kotaku's writer said they 'can't wait' to fumble a carjacking, while GamesRadar+'s Oscar Taylor-Kent said he has 'some reservations about this change,' though he acknowledged the added security systems could create interesting mechanical possibilities.