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Official promotional material for “Grand Theft Auto VI,” which is scheduled for release Nov. 19, 2026. A new extended gameplay preview showcased the game’s world, combat, vehicles and other features ahead of its release. COURTESY OF ROCKSTAR GAMES Sixteen months after the last trailer and less than two months ahead of the game’s release, a 27-minute extended gameplay look for “ Grand Theft Auto VI ” released on Aug. 27, finally giving fans a taste of the one of the world’s most anticipated games.
The preview, which premiered on Netflix before YouTube released it, showed off the game’s graphical and technical achievements, as well as dozens of gameplay features when it officially releases in November. Although the previous two trailers had already shown off the graphics, the extended look let fans see what the game looks like in action. “Grand Theft Auto VI” looks more realistic than previous games from Rockstar North, the studio behind previous “Grand Theft Auto” installments and “ Red Dead Redemption ” (2011).
The preview was recorded on a base PlayStation 5 and the game seemed to run smoothly at 30 frames per second. According to content creator Davy Jones , the head of development at Rockstar North, Rob Nelson, reportedly told him the game targeted 30 FPS during development, but the performance range is not finalized, meaning a smoother 60 FPS mode is possible. Limited performance isn’t surprising, especially considering the gargantuan strain the game could place on console processors.
In the extended look, gameplay featured dense crowds, detailed non-player character behavior and complex physics systems. These elements contribute to the game’s realistic feel, but could prove to be computationally stressful for consoles . The preview also showed off a bevy of gameplay features, with improvements on mechanics from “ Grand Theft Auto V ” (2013) and other features taken from Rockstar North’s last game, “ Red Dead Redemption 2 ” (2018).
The new and improved combat systems were shown off heavily in the trailer. Players can now only carry a limited number of weapons and tools instead of the infinite inventory from the previous game. Gunplay is also more tactical in “Grand Theft Auto VI,” with the series’ replacing traditional lock-on aiming with free aim.
Now, there’s more emphasis placed on targeting weak points on enemies and vehicles. Hand-to-hand combat also seems to have stepped up in complexity and quality from the game’s predecessor. Although brief, the preview showed off a variety of moves, such as blocking, dodging and parrying.
Given that Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos , the game’s protagonists, are criminals, many combat interactions will probably be against the police. While the police weren’t particularly smart or hard to escape in past games, “Grand Theft Auto VI” will make police more of a threat than an annoyance. According to YouTuber TGG , who was shown a few hours of gameplay at Rockstar North’s headquarters, police are much smarter and more persistent.
When the player commits a crime and police spot them, law enforcement will recognize their appearance, clothing, vehicle and weapons, and they will search over a large area. Police will not appear on the game’s map like in “Grand Theft Auto V,” requiring a smarter and more cautious approach to getaways. Players will also find their escape feeling different due to changes made to vehicles.
Cars in “Grand Theft Auto VI” are quite different from previous games, with more realistic mechanics than the arcade-like feel of previous games. According to TGG, cars and other vehicles will require fueling (or charging if they’re electric) at gas stations, and will maneuver with differing levels of weight and control depending on the type of car. The more realistic physics can also lead to more cinematic crashes, as shown in the preview when the player shoots out a car’s tire, causing it to roll over and explode.
Additionally, committing the game’s titular crime will be more complex. Stealing a car will require different tools and actions depending on its security system. The extended look showed that some cars can simply be jimmied open, but others will need to be hacked.
According to TGG, the player can also pay to change the registry of the car or remove trackers in a car to avoid the cops. However, players will need to be careful about their crimes. “Grand Theft Auto VI” will introduce a criminal profile system tied to the player’s actions, according to TGG.
Similar to the honor system from “Red Dead Redemption 2,” the profile represents how notorious and effective a criminal the player is and can change based on their actions. Professional crimes like a clean, efficient heist will improve the profile, and messy, reckless actions like unnecessary killing will damage it. If a player’s profile goes too low, it can be permanently shattered and unable to be improved, and all levels of the criminal profile system can impact the story.
When players aren’t pulling off robberies or high-speed chases with the cops, “Grand Theft Auto VI” will have plenty of side activities to enjoy. According to IGN , players will be able to fish, race, work out, snorkel, hunt and kayak, among many other activities. Those options will be spread out on the extensive map of Leonida, the “Grand Theft Auto” version of Florida.
According to the GTA 6 Mapping Project , a map put together by fans using promotional material and game leaks, the map will be roughly twice the size of “Grand Theft Auto V” and will feature several points of interest. Vice City, a parody of Miami, is the heart of “Grand Theft Auto VI,” but there will be other cities, a national park and an area similar to the Florida Keys. The large map and extensive list of things to do mean “Grand Theft Auto VI” will be a long game.
In an interview with the New York Times , Nelson said that the main story, and a few side missions, will take about 80 hours, excluding the free-roam content. With all the places to see, activities to do and crimes to commit, players are sure to have their hands full when “Grand Theft Auto VI” is released on PlayStation and Xbox on Nov. 19.
Source: sbstatesman.com
