GTA 6 Gameplay: Wanted System, Character Switching & More

Nobody outside Rockstar has played GTA 6. What exists is the Extended Look footage, on-record interviews with Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson, and accounts from creators who watched the game being played in July. This page sorts that material by system. Each section is marked Confirmed (Rockstar on the record) or Reported (an outlet or creator, not Rockstar) and links the news post where we checked it.

The richest primary source is Nelson's interview with Famitsu, done at Rockstar North in Edinburgh. We read it in the original Japanese.

The wanted system now needs a witness

Confirmed. Nelson told Famitsu the wanted system has been rebuilt from scratch. A crime has to be seen before police come looking, the same rule Red Dead Redemption 2 used. Stars also build more slowly than before.

Once a crime is reported, police search on a description: clothing, appearance, the vehicle and whether you are armed. Rockstar calls this state Heat. Change clothes, take off a mask, drop the weapon, repaint the car at a Pay 'n' Spray or leave the search area, and you stop matching what the police know. High-end cars can carry a tracker that gives away your position if you drive slowly.

Reported. Eurogamer says the Extended Look and IGN's preview show a six-star wanted level. Vice's round-up of the preview accounts adds hollow stars for a reported crime without a description, and says splitting Jason and Lucia up during an escape can shed a whole wanted star. More in our preview-details post.

This paragraph is about GTA V: Nelson says earlier GTA games felt as if you were wanted automatically, whether anyone saw the crime or not.

The Criminal Profile rates what kind of criminal you are

Confirmed. Nelson calls the Criminal Profile the first system in a GTA game that tracks part of your behaviour. It isn't about being a good person. It judges whether you work like a professional or like a violent danger, and the world turns more aggressive the more aggressive you are. Red Dead Redemption 2's honour perks, such as shop discounts, are gone. Talking to IGN, as Eurogamer quotes him, Nelson said you are "generally going to be fine" if you commit a crime and move on without escalating. Going "beyond what is necessary" on a consistent basis is what sways it. He told both outlets there is no right or wrong way to play.

Reported. Vice lists named states from Professional up to Psycho, a separate profile for each character, and a final state where the icon shatters for the rest of that save. None of that is on the record from Rockstar yet. Background: what the Extended Look confirmed.

Suppressive fire lets you escape without killing

Confirmed. Nelson described suppressive fire to Famitsu as a new feature: shoot near someone rather than at them to frighten or confuse them and buy time to run. The stated aim is to let you escape without killing police or civilians. Fighting remains possible, but it moves your Criminal Profile. He was careful not to promise a fully non-lethal run: it isn't always easy, but many situations can be cleared without a death. Full story: suppressive fire, a series first.

You switch between Jason and Lucia, within story limits

Confirmed. Both are playable. Per Nelson, the character you are not controlling follows their own daily routine around the safehouse, and you can switch to them or bring the two together. The story sometimes restricts switching. Some missions let you swap freely, some lock you to one character, and some switch you partway through. Store robberies can be done solo or with the other character, and in a chase you choose who drives and who shoots.

This paragraph is about GTA V: GTA V also locked switching in some missions to keep one character's point of view, and Nelson draws that comparison himself. Who the two leads are: our character guide.

The relationship is optional, and it can cool

Confirmed. Nelson told IGN the romance is "not something that we want to foist on players", as ComicBook.com reports. To Famitsu he explained that you choose whether they work together as a couple or only as partners in crime. Neglect the relationship and options such as holding hands or kissing go away. You can win them back with effort, and the relationship status can be checked in the game.

Reported. Dates come from activities you pick, such as the zoo, kayaking or mini-golf. A link between the relationship and heist difficulty traces to one streamer and is unconfirmed. Details: the relationship system, explained.

Money and carried guns work differently

Confirmed, from the Famitsu interview. Cash you carry can be lost when you are wasted or busted, so there is a bank account too. Missions alone won't pay enough to move the story on. Long guns no longer vanish into an invisible inventory: they live in a vehicle trunk or an Ammu-Nation locker, and people react when you walk around with a gun drawn.

Sprint moves to L3, reportedly

Reported. Italian creator Mike ShowSha, one of the July preview guests, says the tap-X sprint is gone and a click of the left stick starts a run. The Shortcut adds that X becomes the handbrake while driving. Rockstar has published no control scheme. See the sprint change.

Fuel is reported, electric cars are not

Reported. Vice's preview round-up says GTA 6 has fuel, refilled at gas stations, and that Rockstar called it a divisive feature. No source we checked mentions electric vehicles or charging.

About 80 hours, told in chapters

Confirmed. Nelson told The New York Times his own playthrough took about 80 hours, including "optional goals with narrative ramifications", per GamesRadar+. That is one person's run, not an average. The Ultimate Edition listing says bonus items are "uncovered behind each chapter", and Nelson told Famitsu the story advances chapter by chapter, with safehouses moving as it goes. No chapter count exists. See the 80-hour estimate and the chapter structure.

The map opens as you explore

Confirmed. Nelson says the story starts in the Leonida Keys. Unexplored areas stay hidden until you visit them, as in GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2. Regions and the official size comparison are on our GTA 6 map page.

No microtransactions at launch, single-player only

Confirmed. Asked on the Kinda Funny Gamecast, Nelson answered no to both microtransactions and generative AI, as GamesRadar+ reports. The store listings call GTA 6 a single-player experience. That covers launch only. Our GTA 6 Online guide tracks any online mode.

What we don't know yet

• Whether a fully non-lethal playthrough is possible.
• What the Criminal Profile changes in the story, beyond Nelson's "may" have an impact.
• The final control layout, and whether tap-to-sprint survives as an option.
• How many chapters there are and how long each one runs.
• Anything about electric vehicles.
• Weather and wildlife. Game Informer's cover story with Rockstar designers is due digitally on 29 September. When we checked gameinformer.com that morning it was not yet up, so nothing from it is on this page. Our preview of the issue explains what it promises.

This page updates when Rockstar or a primary source adds something, and again once the game is out on 19 November. Everything else that is verified sits in everything we know about GTA 6.