It’s nearly impossible to nail down any one feature or mechanic that defines a Grand Theft Auto game, but the two specific suggestions from the title are thievery and driving. My memories of the early GTA games from my childhood, Vice City and San Andreas, are largely comprised of stealing stuff, cruising around listening to 2Pac, and mowing down innocent citizens, a horde of cop cars blaring sirens in the rearview. Driving is essential to a GTA game, so it makes sense that it’s a huge focus in the community leading up to GTA 6.
What does it actually feel like in the hands? Does it have the bulk and heft of vehicular traversal in GTA 4? I remember that one being a little clunky to handle, something that was dramatically improved in GTA 5, which I’ve been playing a lot in anticipation of GTA 6. According to Rockstar co-studio head Rob Nelson, driving in GTA 6 is something of a hybrid of the two, combining the best of each.
Asked by TGG if GTA 6’s cars are as “weighty” as GTA 4’s, Nelson says:
“Only in the best way possible. The team has worked hard to maintain some of the best parts of the weightiness and feel of GTA 4, but have the accessibility of GTA 5. It has all been built up from scratch on this hardware, and they have much more control tuning drivetrain, tires, suspension, steering, all of that is getting applied to the physics model.”
As no one outside of Rockstar and publisher Take-Two have had the chance to go hands-on with GTA 6, we don’t have objective, unbiased impressions of any of the game’s mechanics. Of course the guy in charge of Rockstar is going to say it’s the best of both worlds; we’ll just have to wait until November to find out if he’s right.
GTA 6 launches November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X.