When it launches, Grand Theft Auto 6 stands to be one of the most important video game launches of the last decade. Every GTA game is an event, but fans have been waiting for Rockstar to deliver a new game in the series since 2013. Remember, GTA 5 came out only 12 years after GTA 3, so this gap has been a long one. Thankfully, Rockstar has continued to support GTA Online and released Red Dead Redemption 2 in the meantime, so the studio’s release calendar hasn’t been completely dry. Still, GTA 6 has massive expectations, and Rockstar needs to build on GTA 5 in meaningful ways. Here are the five elements we hope GTA 6 improves on its predecessor.
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1) More Interior Buildings
Rockstar has always excelled at creating cities that feel like they’re living and breathing. There’s so much to do and see, and the colorful citizens make it easy to get into unexpected hijinks.
However, Grand Theft Auto has never given players many buildings they can actually enter. Sure, we’ve been able to go into gas stations and stick up shopkeepers, and many of the missions take players indoors for pulse-pounding gun fights, but we hope GTA 6 takes things a step further.
The most likely way this could be implemented is through heists and stick-ups. Petty robbery might seem small time compared to the series’ former criminal set pieces, but expanding that system with more interiors would add to immersion and be an easy way to add future online content.
2) Give Characters More In-Depth Abilities
In GTA 5, Rockstar gave all three protagonists a special ability. Franklin could slow down time while driving, Michael could do the same during a shootout, and Trevor made himself nearly invincible. It was a neat addition, but Rockstar should take it further.
A full skill tree for each protagonist might be asking too much, but if they’re able to mix bits of the character creation we saw in San Andreas with the abilities of GTA 5, they’d have a winner on their hands. Either way, we hope the team continues to explore abilities as a way to give each character a unique gameplay style.
3) Create a Memorable Villain
Grand Theft Auto has a long history of memorable bad guys. From Officer Tenpenny and Big Smoke in San Andreas to Lance Vance in Vice City to Darko Brevic in GTA 4, the series has a good mix of different types of antagonists.
However, GTA 5′s Devin Watson and Steve Haines fell a little flat compared to their predecessors. They’re still hateable figures, but they don’t feel as memorable as many Rockstar villains.
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We’re hoping the larger-than-life Vice City helps Rockstar get back to its roots. That city is begging for a charismatic villain for Lucia to take on during her journey throughout Leonida.
4) Improve the Police System
Police have always been heavily integrated into GTA, particularly during free-roam gameplay. That said, they’ve never felt that threatening unless you let yourself get to max Wanted level. They also never felt realistic in GTA 5, as they immediately spawn as soon as you commit a crime.
In GTA 6, Rockstar should give the police AI another pass. If you commit a minor offense, it would make more sense for the police to be slow to respond. A major crime should see them attack with guns blazing. Reworked police AI could increase immersion and make free-roam hijinks even more of a blast.
5) Expanded Mission Design
For a few games now, Rockstar’s mission design has felt a little stagnant. After all, this is a series that prides itself on its massive open world, full of different activities. Most missions throw that out the window and force you down rigid hallways to complete each objective.
We’re not calling for GTA 6 to completely emulate something like Cyberpunk 2077 with its open mission structure, but it’d be great if the freedom felt in the open world carried over to campaign missions even a tiny bit more. That could mean things like improved stealth mechanics or an option to talk your way out of certain situations. It would also be a great way to incorporate more character abilities, making your choices even more important.
