Gta 6 2022: GTA 6 will feature multiple cities, including Vice City, source says

Everything confirmed in the GTA 6 leak, including setting, characters, and combat

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

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An enormous batch of leaked GTA 6 footage has appeared online, confirming numerous details about the much-anticipated crimefest.

Spanning a huge array of work-in-progress gameplay, the leaked footage hands us our first glimpse of GTA 6 in action – albeit in a completely unpolished state. Gunplay and other gameplay features are shown, while character and setting details are hinted at within the environment.

All of it is very much unfinished. Overlaid with debugging information and technical metrics, the footage is clearly taken from an in-progress build of the game. But it is genuine. Rockstar confirmed the leaked footage is authentic and asked that many of the videos and screenshots shared across social media be taken down.

That leaves us to stitch together exactly what was confirmed.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Vice City is back

Corroborating a leak from earlier this year, the footage suggests GTA 6 will take place in Vice City – Grand Theft Auto’s fictional version of Miami. The clips show numerous city signs and buildings bearing the words “Vice City” and “VCPD” is written on the side of police cars (presumably an initialism for Vice City Police Department).

But GTA 6 looks to be set in a modern-day version of the city. While 2002’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was set in the mid-’80s, the presence of smartphones and contemporary-looking cars suggest GTA 6 will take the metropolis to the present day. Although it’s not just the city you’ll be exploring. A few rural areas are also shown, as well as what looks like a swamp. A few familiar locations will also return, including the Malibu Club and the Ocean View hotel.

Two character combo

The footage suggests GTA 6 will feature two protagonists, as well as the series’ first female main character. That aligns with a previous leak, which hinted at the game’s dual leads and suggested Rockstar was approaching the characters with more political sensitivity than it had in other games.

The footage shows a Latina woman named Lucia, according to the debug info, and her accomplice Jason. They were previously described as a Bonnie and Clyde-type pair, and this footage certainly leans into that. In one leaked video, the criminal duo is seen robbing a diner, holding up the cashier, and making their escape as the police arrive. Bonnie and Clyde are even mentioned by name in one of the debug menus.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Fighting talk

Gunplay looks similar to that of GTA 5, with a few new toys and features thrown in. The player is seen wielding various weapons – including an assault rifle, sniper, shotgun, pistol, and rocket launcher – alongside makeshift armaments – like a golf club, baseball bat, and crowbar. At one point, they toss their active weapon to their other hand and pick up a rifle from the floor to add to their inventory – both of which are new features.

It looks like you’ll have some new moves to play with, too. One leaked video showed the player leaning their whole torso out of a car window while aiming an assault rifle in a full 360-degree circle. Elsewhere, the player goes prone, crouches in cover, and carries an NPC over their shoulder. That might allow for sneakier, more stealth-focused firefights.

A new radial weapon-select screen can also be spotted. It appears to show a health kit or medicine of some kind, suggesting players will be able to heal or buff themselves mid-fight.

A whole lotta Easter eggs

Even this leaked footage shows a few callbacks and easter eggs fans will recognize from the wider GTA universe. Expect many of the games’ in-world businesses to return, with LTD Gasoline making an appearance already. LifeInvader – GTA’s tongue-in-cheek social media platform and thinly veiled parody of Facebook – also pops up.

(Image credit: Rockstar)

Five stars or bust 

As expected, GTA 6 will feature the series’ staple Wanted levels. The footage shows a five-star system like that of GTA 5, confirming GTA 6 won’t be returning to the six-star system that previous entries in the series had.

But police have had an upgrade. If the cops see you entering a stolen vehicle, they’ll look for you, even after you’ve made your initial escape. It’s true to life – cars do have number plates, after all – and suggests you’ll have to put more thought into evading the law.

Character customization

While the leaks didn’t show GTA 6’s character customization features in full, we at least got confirmation of their existence. Lucia, the game’s main female character, is shown wearing different outfits and hairstyles, confirming your threads and hair can be customized. It’ll be interesting to see the depth of GTA 6’s character customization options after Saints Row leaned heavily into the feature earlier this year with its granular boss factory. 

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Callum is TechRadar Gaming’s News Writer. You’ll find him whipping up stories about all the latest happenings in the gaming world, as well as penning the odd feature and review. Before coming to TechRadar, he wrote freelance for various sites, including Clash, The Telegraph, and Gamesindustry.biz, and worked as a Staff Writer at Wargamer. Strategy games and RPGs are his bread and butter, but he’ll eat anything that spins a captivating narrative. He also loves tabletop games, and will happily chew your ear off about TTRPGs and board games. 

GTA 6: here’s everything we know so far

(Image credit: Rockstar)

GTA 6 was officially announced earlier in 2022, but the reveal constituted little more than a note that the game was indeed being worked on in some form. This was hardly surprising, but admittedly a big announcement to have Rockstar finally acknowledge the next game in the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

Shortly after the announcement however, Rockstar suffered a huge leak related to GTA 6. This included pre-alpha development footage, with a possible glimpse at where the game is set. Despite the huge amount of information on GTA 6 found in the leaks, what the game actually ends up being remains to be seen. There’s still a fair bit of mystery here, including a possible 2024 release date, and the question of who the protagonist (or protagonists) will be.

This page will collect all official information on GTA 6, including news released by Rockstar, as well as rumors from elsewhere in the industry. In terms of the leaks, we won’t be linking to them directly. Instead, you’ll find some speculation based on the systems and gameplay shown in what was clearly a very early development build. As more is revealed, you’ll find this page regularly updated, so that you can stay sun the loop with all things GTA 6.

  • What is GTA 6? The next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series
  • When is GTA 6 coming out? TBC, but likely not for a few years
  • What platforms will GTA 6 release on? TBC
  • Where will GTA 6 be set? TBC, rumored to be Vice City

GTA 6 release date: when is GTA 6 coming out?

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

While Rockstar Games has finally announced it’s working on GTA 6, it has said nothing of when the game will release, let alone confirm a release date. According to a recent report by Bloomberg , current and former Rockstar staff reckon GTA 6 is still at least two years away from release, suggesting a a 2024 launch.

What’s more, in a press release  detailing Take-Two Interactive’s deal to buy mobile game company Zynga, a section on «Strategic Rationale and Stockholder Value Creation» contained a note stating that: «Looking ahead, the combined company is expected to deliver a 14% compound annual growth rate… over the three-year period from Take-Two’s Fiscal Years 2021 through 2024.»

In response to that, an analyst from investment banking firm Jefferies, quoted by Axios’ Stephen Totilo on Twitter , said: «there are only a handful of titles that can…provide management with the confidence to put out such a strong guidance; we believe there is at least one Rockstar IP set to be released by FY24.»

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

This 2024 spike almost lines up with leaker Tom Henderson’s GTA 6 release date prediction. The notable leaker, who is primarily known for his (mostly) accurate previews of Battlefield and Call of Duty, posted a video  sharing a bunch of alleged GTA 6 details. In it, Henderson predicts GTA 6 isn’t going to release until between 2024 and 2025, based on his sources.

Henderson’s prediction has since been corroborated by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier. His report earlier this year confirmed that Rockstar has been making efforts to overhaul its workplace culture, and previously said on Twitter that Henderson’s claims «[match] up with what I’ve heard».

A release sometime in 2024 looks like a pretty safe bet, then, but one leaker claims this could be wishful thinking. Creator of Rockstar Mag Chris Klippel (who has accurately leaked Rockstar Game news before) claims that while the developer has reached an important working milestone, he doesn’t expect Grand Theft Auto to release before the end of 2024.

«I think that a (real) announcement at the end of the year may be possible,» Klippel tweeted . «In any case, I don’t see the game arriving before the end of 2024.»

So, maybe the 2025 side of that 2024/2025 estimate is more likely.

Take-Two’s FY23-FY25 Pipeline outlined: pic.twitter.com/kZEf8xgpvLMay 16, 2022

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GTA 6 trailer: when can I watch one?

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Unfortunately, Rockstar Games didn’t share a trailer for GTA 6 alongside its announcement, suggesting that the developer is approaching its reveal of Grand Theft Auto 6 differently than its previous titles. With both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games teased an announcement a few days before dropping the first trailer for either game. 

But this time Rockstar didn’t tease an announcement at all, nor did it announce the game with a trailer, instead it simply included the announcement as part of a community post, making it difficult to predict whether there will be a trailer sometime soon. It’s worth noting that we saw gameplay footage from an early build leak in September, though this isn’t representative of what’ll be the final product..

Either way, if there’s a Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer, you’ll know about it because the internet will explode – and we’ll let you know too, of course. 

GTA 6 map: where and when will GTA 6 be set?

Grand Theft Auto (Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Rockstar Games hasn’t confirmed where GTA 6 will take us, but there’s a plethora of rumors floating around suggesting a variety of settings for the game. Although every online titbit and juicy gossip morsel looks tantalizing, a few hold more water than others.

It’s looking most likely that GTA 6 will be set in Vice City, Rockstar’s fictional version of Miami, or at least a fictional version of Miami. The aforementioned Bloomberg report claims a source «close to the matter» suggests  Vice City will appear in GTA 6, although Rockstar’s original plans were apparently more ambitious. That’s backed up by the leaked gameplay footage, one of which showed a “Vice City Metro” train.

Bloomberg’s report claims that, at the beginning of development, GTA 6 encompassed huge areas modeled after both North and South America. That scope was apparently cut back, however, to focus on Vice City and its surrounding area, though «the game’s world remains large, with more interior locations than previous Grand Theft Auto games».

But the map won’t remain static, according to the report. Rockstar plans to update GTA 6 with more cities and interior locations after release, with these updates set to be substantially larger than those GTA 5 has received. The idea is to give developers more breathing room to create the game’s expansive map and cut down on stressful overtime during development. It also means you’ll have new areas to explore after the game hits shelves. According to Bloomberg, Rockstar plans to add new missions and cities to the game “on a regular basis”, giving us new areas to explore while hopefully cutting crunch at the studio.  

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Leaker Tom Henderson has similarly claimed that while Vice City will be coming to GTA 6 in some capacity, the game’s map isn’t as big as previous rumors suggested.

In addition, Henderson claims that GTA 6 won’t be set be in the ’80s or ’90s, but instead will have a modern setting. This is apparently to allow the base game to «fit» with GTA Online, with developers wanting «as much freedom as possible to release as many DLCs as possible». 

But it’s not just GTA 6 that Henderson shared details on. The leaker claims that GTA Online, accompanying GTA 6’s release, will feature an evolving map that could change each time a new GTA 6 DLC is released. Henderson compared this map to that of Fortnite’s and also claimed that GTA 6’s release will see additions made to the «default» GTA Online map, including new areas and an expansion to the map.

It’s worth noting that Henderson did caveat that he is «not known for GTA 6 leaks» and that viewers should take these rumors will a grain of salt, as his sources may be «less reliable» than those of his Call of Duty and Battlefield leaks.  

Given how it appears in the leaked build, we think a return to Vice City in some form is now guaranteed, which would tie into the rumors mentioned above. But, outside of that, we’ve yet to get an official confirmation of GTA 6’s setting from Rockstar itself.

GTA 6 story and characters: what to expect

(Image credit: Rockstar)

Rockstar Games hasn’t confirmed GTA 6’s story or characters yet but reports and rumors may point to what we can expect from Grand Theft Auto 6’s storytelling. 

According to Bloomberg’s report, GTA 6 will feature the series’ first female protagonist and center around a pair of characters styled after the American criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde. This is backed up by the leaked gameplay footage, which shows two different protagonists, both male and female.

Bloomberg’s report details Rockstar’s efforts to change its workplace culture, and how the developer “has spent the last four years overhauling its culture and working to become a kinder, more progressive company. ” As part of the changes, “Grand Theft Auto VI will have a female Latina protagonist – the first playable woman in modern Rockstar history.” Who the second leading character is and what the nature of their relationship will be isn’t clear. 

This isn’t the first we’ve heard a report of a playable female character in GTA 6. Prominent leaker Tom Henderson previously reported that the game will feature «multiple playable characters», including one female character who is set to be the «bright one», with a focus on technology and hacking.

In Schreier’s report, he writes that “the woman, who is Latina, will be one of a pair of leading characters in a story influenced by the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde». Developers at Rockstar are «being cautious not to ‘punch down’ by making jokes about marginalized groups,» in contrast to previous entries in the series.

But this may not have always been the case. According to Axios’ Stephen Totilo , at one point GTA 6 was to have three cities and four protoganists. If these reports are true, the number of protagonists has been cut down, similarly to the cities. 

The story itself, outside of the Bonnie and Clyde stylized characters, is also unconfirmed. However several rumors have pointed to GTA 6’s story focusing on drug-running, drawing inspiration from shows and movies like Narcos and Tom Cruise’s Made in America.

We could be waiting a while to hear anything official from Rockstar on GTA 6’s story and characters  – likely until the game’s official reveal  –  but news of the series’ first potential female protagonist is certainly enough to get us excited.

GTA 6 gameplay — what do we know right now?

(Image credit: Rockstar)

Seeing as Rockstar has yet to release any official details on gameplay, we have very little to go off of currently. According to the leaked early development footage we say this year, it does seem that Rockstar is trying out some new mechanics for GTA 6. There seems to be a focus on robbery and heists, with some new stealth mechanics thrown in for good measure.  From the footage that leaked (now deleted), things look very similar to GTA 5, but with some additional and updated aspects like being able to go prone. Of course, this was all clearly early development, so there’s no saying what the GTA 6 gameplay will end up being like.

GTA 6 news and rumors: what do we know so far?

Grand Theft Auto (Image credit: Rockstar Games) (Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Below we’ve collected all of the latest leaks and rumors that hint at when GTA 6 might be launched – and what we can expect from the new game. As always, take these details with a huge pinch of salt – some are old, some are from now-deleted sources and others might just be keen fans getting carried away.

Fans attempting to map the game 
Rockstar and publisher Take Two are currently clearing up the recent GTA 6 leak but fans are attempting to use some of the leaked footage to piece together what the game’s open world might look like. 

Using the leaked gameplay footage, which apparently had visible in-game coordinates, Kotaku reports that fans on the GTA Forums are working together to construct a map with location placements. Having to avoid the actual leaked images and footage, the fans are using tools like Google Earth and Microsoft Paint in the project. 

Of course, given everything in the leak is subject to change, the project is very much speculative and it’ll be a while before we get a look at the true GTA 6 map for ourselves. 

Rockstar addresses GTA 6 leak
Rockstar Games has formally confirmed this weekend’s GTA 6 leak is real. Releasing a statement via Twitter , the team advised this included «early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto.» While they don’t comment on particular details spotted in the leak, the team says it’s «extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared this way.»

Crucially, Rockstar’s statement advises that this shouldn’t cause any delays, stating «we do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects.» Promising an official update to this next game «when it is ready,» you can read that in full below.

A Message from Rockstar Games pic.twitter.com/T4Wztu8RW8September 19, 2022

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GTA 6 suffers huge gameplay leak
Grand Theft Auto 6 has just seen what’s easily one of the biggest leaks in gaming history, rivalling Half-Life 2’s pre-release leak in 2003. Roughly 90 videos were posted onto the official GTA Forums by a poster named teapotuberhacker, containing gameplay footage that’s early in development. Since going live, Rockstar and Take-Two have since removed these through copyright strikes.

Updating their original post (now deleted), teapottuberhacker claimed he’s looking to make a deal with Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive, issuing this statement:

“Ok, so this has gone unexpectedly viral, woke up to 3000 Telegram DM’s. If you are an employee of Rockstar or Take 2 and you’re trying to contact me, send me a message containing 22559219889638875756 on Telegram or you can email me at [email address redacted] ** from your corporate email address ** I will try to read all these replies soon – I am looking to negotiate a deal. ”

Reports of single-player DLC returning
GTA 6 could feature single-player DLC according to a recent report from known leaker Tez2. Writing on the GTAForums , Tez2 touched on recent reports on how the game could expand over time, claiming that “Rockstar will go back to how they were planning future content before GTA Online success boomed”. 

This, Tez2 says, means that Rockstar will plan the first new cities and missions that will be added as DLC prior to the release of GTA 6. This is apparently “to allocate resources towards whatever new title they will work on after VI release”. 

As for the cities that will be part of this DLC, according to Tez2, they will be «new cities or islands. Like Cayo Perico or North Yankton style. That way, Rockstar can introduce a new heist for the next GTA Online mode with each new DLC. If we are lucky, we could receive a fully fledged new city from time to time.”

This would, as Tez2 notes, be a shift after Rockstar revealed to Game Informer in 2017 that it moved away from plans to bring DLC to GTA 5’s single-player back in 2015 in favor of expanding GTA Online and working on Red Dead Redemption 2.  

A change in workplace culture
Bloomberg’s aforementioned report details Rockstar’s efforts to change its workplace culture, and how the developer “has spent the last four years overhauling its culture and working to become a kinder, more progressive company.” As part of the changes, “Grand Theft Auto VI will have a female Latina protagonist – the first playable woman in modern Rockstar history.”

Bloomberg adds that production on the game “has been slower than expected, largely due to the pandemic but also due to these changes, as employees grow accustomed to working at this new Rockstar. But many say morale is higher than ever and that the cultural changes are well worth it.” 

(Image credit: Take-Two Interactive / Rockstar Games)

Rockstar hiring push and a focus on GTA 6
Rockstar has already confirmed that the development of GTA 6 is “well underway” but a recent hiring push suggests it might be moving up a gear. As spotted by PCGamesN , Rockstar Games is hiring for over 200 positions across its global studios with a large number of the roles added around mid-2022.  

The jobs span a range of development fields, from UX, to production, to animation, to art. They’re also open at many of the developer’s studios across the world. The jobs are, of course, not all necessarily tied to Grand Theft Auto 6 but with that game being the developer’s focus at the moment, there’s a good chance that many are.

This follows a July 2022 post from Rockstar announcing that it’s pulling back on major updates to Red Dead Online, Rockstar has touched on its intentions for Grand Theft Auto going forward and the focus it has on developing Grand Theft Auto 6. 

“Over the past few years,” the post reads, “we have been steadily moving more development resources towards the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series — understanding more than ever the need to exceed players’ expectations and for this next entry to be the best it can possibly be — and as a result, we are in the process of making some changes to how we support Red Dead Online.”

I still believe the game is releasing in 2024-2025. I’m referring to turbulent because it hasn’t been plain sailing just like with every other game in development during COVID etc. People leaving and what-not.June 27, 2022

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An engine ahead of its time?
The graphics for GTA 6 could be seriously impressive if a recent report is anything to go by. Journalist and Rockstar insider Chris Klippel (via T3 ) has said that the engine being used to create GTA 6 is “ahead of its time”. 

Klippel claimed on Twitter that «the new version of the graphics engine of RockstarGames (RAGE9) which will be used for GTA6 is likely to be quite incredible», adding that he’s been “able to get very positive feedback, we really shouldn’t be disappointed on this point.”

Visiblement, la nouvelle version du moteur graphique de #RockstarGames (RAGE9) qui sera utilisée pour #GTA6 risque d’être assez incroyable. J’ai pu avoir des retours très positifs, on devrait vraiment ne pas être déçu sur ce point. On parle d’un moteur en avance sur son temps. pic.twitter.com/v2DVSS4lMJApril 22, 2022

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Rockstar’s only new game this gen?
According to prominent leaker AccNGT, Rockstar could be putting its all into getting GTA 6 right. In a January 2022 Q&A, when asked how many games we should expect from Rockstar this generation, they said, “If we are talking about new games, then I think only GTA 6 will be released.” 

@ZerkhovHow many games should we expect from Rockstar this gen?If we are talking about new games, then I think only GTA 6 will be releasedJanuary 7, 2022

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First screenshot hidden in the GTA trilogy?
A single image of a house in the GTA Trilogy version of San Andreas has fans thinking they might be looking at the very first screenshot from GTA 6. The image of the house, posted on GTA Forums (via IGN ), can be found amongst the photos on the wall of San Andreas’ UFO-themed Lil’ Probe’Inn. That’s kind of the perfect location for the start of a conspiracy, don’t you think? 

Another #GTATrilogy mystery hunt. The Lil’ Probe’Inn has an unidentified house amongst the UFO photo display… GTAVI? (jk) (or am I, where is this from?) Credit to ArthurZussman, mussefar03 and mrcharhead for these images.Discussion source: https://t.co/F4uXihZS9v pic.twitter.com/1iHP1jiQMLNovember 16, 2021

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One GTA Forums user identified a real-life house in Boca Raton near Miami that looks like the house. Those who have been keeping up with the reports that GTA 6 might be set in Miami (or at least a fictional version of it) will know why that’s significant and fans are taking it as a hint about the setting. One Twitter user and self-professed Rockstar fan, Matheusvictorbr, said in April 2022 that they’ve been able to verify that the house is from GTA 6. There has, however, been nothing official from Rockstar.

GTA 6 could reward you in cryptocurrency instead of cash
Tom Henderson , a well-known Call of Duty and Battlefield leaker, claimed on Twitter that he’s heard that some of GTA 6’s missions will reward players in in-game payments of bitcoin rather than cash.  

According to Henderson, bitcoin wouldn’t replace cash as in-game currency, but instead would sit alongside it. Henderson claims that the stock market will make a return in GTA 6, with the addition of a broker for different cryptocurrencies. 

These bitcoin payments apparently be rewarded for every mission but instead will be rewarded by more high-profile characters who want to move high amounts of «untraceable cash and fast».

This in-game currency will apparently not be called bitcoin, but will still be a form of cryptocurrency.

I heard recently that in GTA 6, some missions will reward you in bitcoin instead of cash for completing some missions. The stock market feature will return, with the addition of a broker for different cryptocurrencies. If GTA 6 incorporates this right, it’s huge for crypto.June 3, 2021

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(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

New patent suggests smarter NPCs
A new patent filed by Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two could point to GTA 6 having improved AI for its NPCs. The patent attempts to trademark a “system and method for virtual navigation in a gaming environment“ and was filed by the publisher in October 2020.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Story reportedly finished
The story for Rockstar’s GTA 6 is apparently finished if a supposed insider is to be believed. 

In February 2020, Chris ‘Liberty93’ from Rockstar Mag (a French fansite) claimed the story for Grand Theft Auto 6 was wrapped up prior to the departure of Rockstar’s head writer, Dan Houser, and that the next GTA entry will still have the “soul” of a typical Rockstar game.

Although a finished story might suggest a release date for GTA 6 is close, Chris did point out that many changes were made to Red Dead Redemption 2’s story during development, despite it being ‘completed’ way back in 2012.

“They still made changes in late 2017, early 2018, and many little details were modified,» Chris explained.  

Dan Houser leaves Rockstar
Revealed in a statement by Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive, Houser (who was has been on an extended leave period since spring 2019) will be officially left Rockstar Games in March 11, 2020. His brother Sam Houser remains present as president.

Houser, who has variously acted as writer, producer and voice actor at Rockstar, led Rockstar Games to become one of the biggest developers in the industry. It’s currently unknown whether this will have an impact on GTA 6’s development.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

GTA 6 could be the last GTA game 
This is more informed speculation from Tom Henderson than anything concrete. But we’ve included a lot of his predictions and leaks in this guide, so felt it was only right to flag his latest theory recently published on Dualshockers: GTA 6 could be the last GTA title.

He acknowledges it would be a shame for such a huge franchise to end but suggests that, with GTA Online’s huge popularity and a continuously evolving map, there might not be a reason for Rockstar Games to ever follow up GTA6. 

«Rockstar seems to be making GTA 6 the most epic future-proof video game in history, with constant updates that not only give the fans new content but keeps the world new and interesting by evolving,» he writes.

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Vic is TechRadar Gaming’s Associate Editor. An award-winning games journalist, Vic brings experience from IGN, Eurogamer and more to the TechRadar table. You may have even heard her on the radio or speaking on a panel. Not only is Vic passionate about games, but she’s also an avid mental health advocate who has appeared on both panels and podcasts to discuss mental health awareness. Make sure to follow her on Twitter for more.

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This is GTA 6! The biggest leak in the gaming industry. What became known about Grand Theft Auto 6

On February 4, 2022, Rockstar Games officially confirmed that it was developing Grand Theft Auto 6. Throughout the year, insiders continued to «leak» information and blurry screenshots from an early build of the new Grand Theft Auto 6 game. But what happened on September 18th made a lot of players go crazy.

On September 18, 2022, there was a hack that is already being called «the greatest in the history of the gaming industry.» A hacker broke into the Rockstar Games internal network, recorded an hour of video of an old version of Grand Theft Auto 6, and also took possession of the source code of the fifth and sixth parts!

History of events

A topic from the user teapothack appeared on the gtaforums website — the hacker posted a screenshot of the Grand Theft Auto 5 source code, as well as a link to download the video archive. At first, the players suspected the person of cheating, but after the hacker began to post pieces of the source code upon request, users realized that teapothack was not lying.

Over three gigabytes of gameplay footage from an early version of Grand Theft has leaked online. We have watched them in full and we have a lot to tell.

What will happen in Grand Theft Auto 6

Location

Events will take place in Vice City — insiders did not lie when they leaked information. The city has become like a combination of cities in the state of Florida. Some videos show familiar places, like Ocean Drive, but there are also many unknown places — some of the locations look like pieces of a Grand Theft Auto V map. The hills and emptiness do not fit in with the forests of a tropical climate — probably, some parts of Vice City did not have time to fill.

Part of the locations is already ready — clubs, shops, cafes and roadside establishments. One of the videos even showed a “scripted” scene: the characters are talking to the characters, walking through the strip club and watching the quarrel of several NPCs.

NPC models are stubs, since not all city dweller models are ready yet. In the early version, they showed skeletons «skeletons» — they are placed wherever possible. But the voice acting is ready — characters, even NPCs, do not hesitate to talk and express emotions, react to the actions of the protagonists.

The main characters

Speaking of them. It is confirmed that there are now two main characters — Lucia and Jason. Switching between them occurs without plugs and delays, and the protagonists constantly travel together.

The girl is Hispanic, with the inherent virtues of this nationality. It’s nice to look at her.

The guy is a white hillbilly, a redneck. Unshaven, uncombed, walks in dirty rags. Reminds me of the north Los Santos that Trevor Philips fought in Grand Theft Auto V, or one of the «O’Neil Brothers» — a group of rednecks in Los Santos.

Full character customization confirmed. Lucia already has two sets of clothes. The look caught on a black short skirt with fabric physics, a black top and high-heeled shoes — the heroine looks spectacular in them. If this is important — you are allowed to look under the skirt!

Engine

Rockstar’s development tool remains unchanged — the Rage engine, modified since Grand Theft Auto 4. Already in Red Dead Redemption 2, it was clear that Rockstars would not be able to jump higher. But even in the early version of Grand Theft Auto 6, there is something to be surprised at.

Character animations

Contextual animations taken from Red Dead Redemption 2. But there are also new ones, like the inertia of heroes when running. Having developed speed and changed direction, the heroine slows down, turns her body, runs a little more along the original path, and only then runs in the right direction.

Heroes and NPCs will stick to cover automatically. Approaching close to the wall, the hero or «non-script» gently presses and runs along — this mechanic is ready and works on all demonstrations. They will also allow you to go around shelters and “not come off” from the wall.

Change of body position also returned. Heroes can once again crouch and move behind low cover. At the same time, if the hero or NPC is shooting, the hands change their position in space and rise above the cover — be it a fence or a car. The position of the body also changes: if the cover is too low, the characters bend down more, and as soon as it gets higher, the body also “rises”. In one of the videos, a policeman takes into account the height of the cover when shooting.

New animations have also been added: when under fire, the hero covers his face with his hands, and it doesn’t matter if he has a weapon in his hands or not; lie on the ground and crawl forward — there is even a scene where Jason crawls into the warehouse and it looks like an animal jumps out at him, from which the protagonist closes with his hands.

As in Red Dead Redemption 2, heroes can carry NPCs on their shoulders. Whether it will be possible to hide them in the trunk and thus move them is still unknown.

Transport

But the physics of transport, as well as destructibility, have not yet been fully demonstrated. In one short video, you can see that the hood of the car bends, and the left “wing” flies off from a collision with an obstacle. I would like to believe that the developers will return to the developments of Grand Theft Auto IV.

On the other hand, the hacker showed changes in the interior of the car: the position of the rear-view mirror is adjustable — most likely, they will be allowed to monitor traffic through it; «visors» over the driver’s and passenger’s sides are regulated; the steering wheel of some cars rises higher or lower; the driver’s seat moves closer to the steering wheel, or lowers.

NPC Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence has been changed. In skirmishes with the police, the servants of the law first demand to stop, drop their weapons on the ground and surrender — these actions are doable through the interaction menu. After the second or third request, the police begin to fire. In a firefight, lawmen call for reinforcements, and the star system will most likely be tied to this mechanic — if you kill lawmen, they will not call for reinforcements, and the player will hide from prosecution.

In clashes with the police, we noticed an innovation — the servants of the law are now not only male, but also female. And the equipment of the law enforcement forces also changes depending on the number of “stars”: at the first level of the wanted list, patrolmen will arrive to detain the heroes, and at the fifth — dressed in body armor and armed with automatic rifles, response groups.

Opportunities in the open world

The materials contain a demonstration of a cafe robbery. And this is not only a threat to the sellers behind the counter — the heroes take the people inside hostage, everyone is allowed to rob. NPCs react to every action that happens around them: they panic, are relieved at the sight of the police, start screaming and get scared if the heroes kill the hostages. Some «NPCs» will try to escape — these can be tied up with zip ties and left in a conspicuous place. This will delay the police assault, and the lawmen will not climb into the cafe or shoot through the windows.

It is allowed to rob not only cafes, but also other establishments. Entering the antique store, Jason has the opportunity to switch to robbery mode. True, this was not shown on the video — the hacker left the institution.

Will be allowed to break into port containers with a grinder. The hacker revealed that jewelry or vehicles would most likely be placed inside. In the video, money, a bag for collecting it and a motorcycle are placed in the container. The mountain of money is no longer collected automatically — the hero raises each «pack» of dollars separately.

It will also become more difficult for characters to get into restricted areas. The video shows that the cameras are now «recording» what is happening, and it is better to hide from the guards — the player is noticed instantly and open fire.

Another video shows a subway and an underground transport car with open doors. Seating is located inside, and there is enough space for a dozen NPCs — most likely, the players are waiting for a working public transport.

Armament, shooting and equipment

According to the materials presented, the shooting is reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 — it’s hard to do better. But the fire was fired from only a few types of weapons, and the full arsenal was not shown.

Added change of hands when shooting. The weapon is shifted from one hand to another, but what changes in this case is not clear. Apparently, this is how the change in the type of aiming from behind the shoulder is implemented — left or right.

Inventory is no longer bottomless. The player is limited to seven weapon slots, and the eighth is occupied by fists. The system is reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption 2 — a maximum of two rifles hang on the back, and only a pistol and a knife from auxiliary weapons. Also, in some videos, the inventory slot is occupied by a flashlight — you will probably have to use it during warehouse or port robberies at night.

To expand the space, a bag is put on the hero — it gives two additional slots. But it is not clear whether they will allow weapons to be placed there or whether the bag is needed only for auxiliary weapons, such as explosives.

But now the player will not be allowed to «vacuum» the pockets of enemies and telepathically pick up weapons lying on the floor. The latter can be either thrown out of the inventory or picked up lying under your feet — this system came straight from Red Dead Redemption 2.

Analysis

This amount of information in the gaming industry has not leaked on any game. The developments are taken from Red Dead Redemption 2, but there is nothing strange in this — it would be foolish to discard the mechanics and achievements of one of the most technologically advanced games in the industry. Players are waiting for a new technical breakthrough — even in the early version of Grand Theft Auto 6 it looks impressive, and the number of little things make you open your mouth in amazement.

It is not clear how Rockstar Games and Take-Two will recover from such a hack, whose heads will fall on the chopping block and what will happen to the hacker. I would also like to believe that the source code of Grand Theft Auto 6 will not become the property of the Network — otherwise the game will be put an end to and will be remade from scratch. It will take a lot more time, and seeing the leaked videos, I want to play GTA 6 in the next couple of years.

2022-09-19 13:50:39

Maxim Dragan

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