Two of the Grand Theft Auto series’ most prominent, interweaving systems – stealing cars and driving them – are set to get a major change in Grand Theft Auto 6, as developer Rockstar has said the pick-up-and-play systems are now going to be “more challenging” than they’ve been before.
The news comes via an interview Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson held with IGN, published alongside GTA 6’s big Netflix reveal showcase this evening.
“The streets in this game are narrower and more realistic in terms of scale. Which, in addition to all the density of the traffic on the roads, makes driving slightly more challenging and requires a bit of skill,” Nelson said.
IGN’s preview then noted that “not only is the driving tougher, even just stealing the car has evolved to be a more nuanced process too”, before caveating that it’s still “the automobile acquisition thrill that we know and love”.
Nelson continued: “We have put some layers of stratification into the vehicles… Previously, you could just press triangle to automatically hotwire and steal any vehicle that you wanted and take off. We felt like that left a lot of potential gameplay on the table in terms of progression and decision-making for players. So now, you start off the game and there are certain parked cars that are not accessible to you until you get a bit further along with the story and you acquire certain tools to get into them, but you can always carjack any driver you see.
“I think it gives all the vehicles more meaning, and you need to pay attention to what you’re doing a bit more,” he added to IGN. There’s also mention of an “advanced GPS tracking system” on high-end stolen cars, and a new scanner app built into protagonists Jason and Lucia’s phones that can help figure out how to steal them. As IGN explains: “Now different makes and models will need different approaches; a fancy car might come equipped with an electronic lock and require a key cloner to get into.”
More to follow.
