Grand Theft Auto 6 day has kicked off a little early. While everyone waits for the game’s Netflix extended look, new information has emerged from something of an unlikely source.
British magazine Dazed published an excerpt from its autumn 2026 issue, which includes a few GTA 6 gameplay details alongside some quotes from the development team. Some of the tidbits shared corroborate the recent leaks, too.
Although we’ve long suspected Jason and Lucia are the game’s dual protagonists, Rockstar never actually shared any details about how that’s going to work. Now, Dazed’s preview clears a few things up.
For starters, you can play as either Jason or Lucia separately or as a couple – a first for GTA. You can switch between the two seamlessly, including while the two are together. The preview describes a car ride on the way to a job where you can switch between Jason in the driver’s seat, and Lucia scrolling though the in-game social media feeds alongside him.
This continues for the rest of the mission. As the ride back turns into a car chase, you’re able to switch between driving as one character and shooting at pursuers at any moment.
The relationship between Jason and Lucia is a core part of GTA 6, and will be affected by the situations the pair go through, and how you react when you’re playing as either of them. Because you can play as a couple, you get to do couple activities, such as taking time to go to the beach or ride a jetski.
Rockstar appears to be emphasising choices and their repercussions heavily in GTA 6, with a more reactive world, and a deeper morality system that goes a few steps further than Red Dead Redemption 2‘s honour system. Although the preview doesn’t share specifics there, it’s clear the player’s experience of the sidewalk is going to be significantly changed from previous GTA games. For instance, the world and its inhabitants will react to you differently if you’re walking around with a rifle than they would when you’re not open-carrying.
This focus on immersion and grounded, reactive systems has been a point of discussion following recent leaks. Some players are wary of a world that may be so realistic it doesn’t allow for GTA’s trademark chaos. For instance, GTA 6 brings back San Andreas’ body weight mechanics, where eating and not exercising enough will have visible effects on your character, as will regularly lifting weights.
“We want to enable as much self-expression as possible, without losing the essence of the characters,” said Rob Nelson, Rockstar North‘s head of development and co-studio head, on that topic. Part of that work involved going to Miami, doing research, and meeting real people from all walks of life who call the city home.
Meanwhile, Rockstar has been accused of union-busting after the studio fired dozens of staffers late last year. Studio parent company Take-Two said the employees were let go for “gross misconduct”. UK trade union Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), however, argued the firings “amount to victimisation and collective dismissal linked to trade union activity”. Formed earlier this year, the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU) is seeking voluntary recognition from the studio after growing its membership following the dismissals.
GTA 6 releases 19th November on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
