GTA 6 Gameplay: Every Feature Rockstar Has Confirmed So Far

November 5, 2026 GAMEPLAY GTA6

Information type:OFFICIAL ROCKSTAR INFORMATIONTHIRD-PARTY REPORTINGMISSIONPASSED ANALYSIS

GTA 6 Gameplay: Every Feature Rockstar Has Confirmed So Far

GTA 6 gameplay is third-person, open-world crime in Leonida, Rockstar's take on Florida. You play as Jason and Lucia, a criminal couple, and can switch between them at any time. Around that, Rockstar has confirmed a reworked wanted system, tool-based car theft, a relationship system, gyms, fishing, diving and much more.

The best official look at it is GTA 6: An Extended Look, 26 minutes of footage Rockstar premiered on Netflix on 27 August 2026 and then put on YouTube. Below, we've sorted every confirmed gameplay detail by system, with a clear label on anything that's only been seen in footage.

Last updated: 3 November 2026. Sources: Rockstar's own footage and store pages, plus on-record interviews with Rob Nelson, Rockstar North's head of development. GTA 6 is not out yet, so nothing here has been tested by us.

Where to watch official GTA 6 gameplay

GTA 6: An Extended Look (27 August 2026): 26 minutes of new footage, first on Netflix, then on Rockstar's YouTube channel about six hours later. Rockstar reportedly billed it as captured on PS5.
The Launch Trailer (October 2026): story-focused, but full of in-game moments. We broke it down in our GTA 6 launch trailer guide.
Edge magazine's cover story (late October 2026): 12 new official screenshots and a long interview with Rob Nelson.

Anything else claiming to be "new GTA 6 gameplay" before launch is either a leak, a fan edit or a reupload. Stick to Rockstar's channels.

GTA 6 gameplay features at a glance

Feature	What's confirmed	Evidence
Two playable characters	Switch between Jason and Lucia at any time	Rockstar North interview
Relationship system	Four-point scale that rises when they spend time together	Rockstar North, via Edge
Criminal Profile	Tracks your play style, from "Professional" to "Irredeemable"	Rockstar North, via Edge
Wanted system	Crimes need a witness or alarm. Police remember your clothes and car.	Rockstar North interviews
Car theft	Carjack anyone. Some parked cars need tools and progression.	Rockstar North interview
Fuel and engine damage	Every car has a fuel gauge and engine health	Rockstar North, via Edge
Weapons	Everything you've bought is stored in your personal vehicle	Rockstar North interview
Public transport	Rideable buses and trains	Rockstar North, via Edge
Activities	Fishing, kayaking, base jumping, diving, racing, gyms and more	Extended Look footage
Fitness and food	Gyms build muscle. Overeating adds weight.	Rockstar North interview
Platforms	PS5 and Xbox Series X\|S. PS5 Pro Enhanced.	Rockstar and PlayStation

Playing as Jason and Lucia

GTA 6 has two protagonists, and switching is far more fluid than GTA 5's three-way switch.

Switch any time. Rob Nelson told IGN: "You can switch characters and pop over to the couch." If you're apart, "the other one will drive there."
Stay in touch. "You can text the other character – Jason or Lucia – at any point, or you can call them."
The relationship is tracked. Edge reports a four-point relationship scale that rises through shared activities. Ignore your partner's messages and "it may impact your relationship a bit," Nelson said.
Romance is optional. "It's not something that we want to foist upon players." Whatever you do, "they will remain partners in crime."

We cover the couple's activities in more depth in what Jason and Lucia can do together, and their backstories in GTA 6 characters.

Crime, money and the Criminal Profile

Money matters in GTA 6, and you earn a lot of it through crime between story missions.

Robbery targets. Nelson pointed out "all the robbery targets that you can go and use to make money" during IGN's demo.
How you rob matters. Using an explosive on a safe "would damage some of the take," he said.
Criminal Profile. "There is a system that tracks what sort of criminal you are." Edge reports it ranges from "Professional" to "Irredeemable", and that your behaviour affects how the story unfolds. Nelson said it shifts when you go "beyond what is necessary on a consistent basis."

GameRant also reports that story jobs can require raising cash through jobs like gas-station robberies, jewellery heists and stealing cars for fences. For what we know about the story jobs, see every confirmed GTA 6 mission.

Police and the wanted system

This is one of the biggest changes Rockstar has talked about.

Crimes need to be noticed. Nelson told IGN that someone has to witness a crime, or an alarm has to go off, before it's reported to the police.
Police remember you. Edge reports officers can retain identifiers like your clothing, appearance, weapons, vehicle and CCTV exposure. You can limit what they know by changing or dumping those things.
Change your look to lose the heat. "Purchasing and wearing a new outfit will remove any heat that I have," Nelson said in IGN's demo.
K9 units. Edge reports police dogs are part of the response.
Getting caught. "It's just 'Busted', then it's a restart, a respawn."

In the Extended Look, a four-star wanted level appears during a police chase, and the player swaps cars to escape.

Vehicles and driving

Carjack anyone: "You can always carjack any driver you see."
Some cars are locked behind progression: certain parked cars "are not accessible to you until you get a bit further along," Nelson said, because you need the right tools.
Phone scanner: you can hold your phone over a car to see its details.
Trackers: some stolen cars have trackers that ping the police.
Damage costs money: a fence "will give you less money for it if it's damaged."
Call your car: "You can call your personal vehicle at any time." Edge reports this is done through the Scooter Bros app.
Fuel and engine health: Edge reports every car has a fuel gauge and engine health, though refuelling is easy.
Buses and trains: Edge reports Leonida has rideable bus and train systems.

Every confirmed car, bike and boat is in our GTA 6 vehicles list.

Weapons and combat

Your armoury is in your car: "All your weapons that you've purchased will always be available in the back of your personal vehicle."
Weapon wheel: in the Extended Look, Lucia picks a Molotov from a weapon wheel.
Cover shooting: Jason fires from behind cover, and the AI-controlled partner gives covering fire.
Vehicle combat: shots can flip police cars, and Jason fires at helicopters.

Game Informer noted a slow-motion effect during one gunfight but said it was unclear whether it's a gameplay mechanic or a cinematic effect. We're treating it as unconfirmed.

Confirmed guns are in our GTA 6 weapons list.

Open-world activities

The Extended Look showed a long list of things to do outside missions:

Fishing, kayaking, jet-skiing and airboating
Scuba diving and base jumping
Dirt bike races, night-time street racing and stock car challenges
Backyard wrestling

Rockstar North has also confirmed:

Gyms: "We do have gyms where you can go and work out," and working out together gives "a 2-for-1" on stats.
Food: "If you overeat, you will put on weight," but eating "has quite a dramatic effect on your health."
Animal study: "You can study animals as a collection sort of thing." Game Informer's cover story reported more than 170 animal species.
Hair and clothes: "There are a lot of hair salons and clothing shops all over the world." At a safehouse you can only "cut it shorter or shave it off."

Wondering how long all of this will take? See how long is GTA 6.

NPCs and world detail

More varied people: "NPCs have more height differentiation and body shape differentiation than ever before."
They notice you: "If you stand too close to a group, they should notice you."
You can interact: lock on to "greet them or antagonize them," or draw your weapon.
Regional behaviour: Edge reports NPCs act differently depending on the region and on traits like aggression.
Smell: Edge reports a smell mechanic, with characters reacting to unpleasant smells.
Weather: Edge reports localised weather that affects roads, water, aircraft and pedestrians. Game Informer's cover story reported hurricanes.
Social media: the in-game Snapmatic feed lets you follow people and browse. One chase in the Extended Look was livestreamed by a bystander, with a live chat on screen.

Nelson summed it up: "The world will act upon you as well as you acting upon the world."

Graphics and the world

Rockstar hasn't published resolution or frame-rate targets. What's confirmed:

PS5 features: the PlayStation page lists haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, Tempest 3D Audio and "near-instant load times".
PS5 Pro Enhanced: listed by PlayStation, without specifics.
More realistic streets: "The streets in this game are narrower and more realistic in terms of scale," Nelson said.
A bigger map: Rockstar developers have described Leonida as about twice the size of GTA 5's map. Details in our GTA 6 map guide.
A minimal HUD: Game Informer noted a pared-back UI and a mini-map that shows buildings in 3D.

Trailer footage vs confirmed mechanics

Trailers are edited. Here's how we've labelled things:

Confirmed mechanic: something Rockstar or a Rockstar developer has described as a system, like the Criminal Profile or outfit changes removing heat.
Seen in gameplay footage: something shown in the Extended Look, like the weapon wheel or activities. These are very likely in the game, but details could change.
Unconfirmed: cinematic moments that may not be playable, like the slow-motion shot.

What hasn't been confirmed yet

Online mode: Rockstar calls GTA 6 "a single-player experience". No online mode is announced for launch. See does GTA 6 have online?
PC version: not announced. See GTA 6 PC release date.
Marriage: Nelson declined to say whether Jason and Lucia can marry.
Performance modes: no resolution or frame-rate details yet.
An exact map size: "about twice GTA 5" comes from developer interviews, not an official number.

GTA 6 gameplay FAQs

Is there official GTA 6 gameplay?

Yes. Rockstar's 26-minute Extended Look premiered on Netflix on 27 August 2026 and is on Rockstar's YouTube channel.

Can you switch characters in GTA 6?

Yes. You can switch between Jason and Lucia at any time, and if they're apart, the other one will travel to you.

How does the wanted system work in GTA 6?

Crimes have to be witnessed or set off an alarm. Police remember details like your clothes and car, and changing your outfit can remove heat.

Can you swim and dive in GTA 6?

Yes. Scuba diving was shown in the Extended Look, and the new screenshots show underwater areas.

Do cars need fuel in GTA 6?

Edge reports every car has a fuel gauge and engine health, and that refuelling is easy.

Is GTA 6 multiplayer?

Not at launch. Rockstar describes it as a single-player experience.

The bottom line

GTA 6's gameplay builds on GTA 5 with deeper systems: a tracked relationship, a Criminal Profile, smarter police and more realistic cars and money. Much of it has only been shown in footage and interviews, so we'll update this page when the game is out. For a side-by-side view, read GTA 6 vs GTA 5.

When the game launches, our GTA 6 Story Guide will add mission-by-mission walkthroughs. If you're buying in Australia, check the GTA 6 price in Australia first.