10 Things We Predict GTA 6 Will Do That GTA 5 Didn’t

GTA 6 is set to be the release of the decade, and anyone familiar with Rockstar will know the company’s reputation for innovation. We have had to wait a whopping 13 years for the next title in the GTA universe, but chances are the wait will have been worth it.

Speculation is rife, and I’d like to weigh in on that today with 10 new things we predict GTA 6 will have to offer, in no particular order. This is opinion, so don’t take it too seriously, and feel free to weigh in with your own predictions in the comments. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

1. Dynamic Weather Like You’ve Never Seen Before

There has been much talk of a dynamic weather system that pretty much mimics reality, and I think there’s plenty of stock in that. One strong case for this is the job listing Rockstar put out for a “Senior Environmental Systems Programmer.” Some of the requirements were experience in dynamic weather simulation and real-time environmental interactions.

This definitely seems to point towards lifelike weather that can actually affect how you play the game. You might need to wait for a severe thunderstorm to pass before you try to pull off a heist, or even have to divert your plans due to a flooded road. That is, unless they utilize the same time-skip method we saw at the start of missions in GTA 5.

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Rumours suggest we may even get real-time hurricanes that can damage vehicles and property, cause massive flooding, and potentially even pose a lethal risk to us, the player. But that’s nowhere near confirmed, and I don’t think we’ll get weather quite like that.

What we will get is a real-time weather simulation that makes GTA 5’s rain and sun system look rudimentary. Clouds will gradually build, potentially move on without a drop of rain, or build into full thunderstorms, all depending on dynamic conditions. We’ll even have fog, which will hopefully leave our frame rates alone.

But we will have to wait and see on this. Perhaps we’ll see something in the Extended look on 27 August?

2. A More Involved Relationship Dynamic (Dating Mini-game?)

In GTA 5, you switch out to a character, and the others are pretty much forgotten unless you schedule a hangout. I don’t think that’ll be the case in GTA 6.

If you head to spots where the other characters are bound to hang out, I think we’ll be able to run into them and have actual interactions. We might even see some kind of relationship system with our close friends, where if we (for example) blow them up, it negatively affects the relationships.

I’m not entirely positive on that, but I definitely think that’ll be present between Jason and Lucia. Playing as a couple is bound to be more involved than simply as three loosely connected friends. We’ll inhabit the same space, have similar routines, and probably have to even work on the relationship a little.

This is where I think we may have some form of dating mini-game, similar to something you’ll find in The Sims, for example. You’ll have to navigate a date and make sure you appease your significant other, no matter who you’re playing as.

Again, we’ll have to wait and see exactly what Rockstar has cooked up for us, and I’m not quite sure I’d want a dating simulator inside a GTA game. What do you think?

3. You’ll Run Out of Gas

Yep, I think GTA 6 will have some kind of fuel system, where if you steal a car that’s low on gas, you won’t have long to mash the accelerator before you empty the tank. There’s been a fair bit of discussion on this, and I remember recently reading a Reddit thread that made fun of the idea.

The thinking is that, for example, if you drive like a maniac with something like a Bugatti Veyron, you’ll only have about 12-20 minutes of driving from a full tank. It’s similar with a lot of sports and supercars, so you’ll be switching cars several times in every police chase.

I don’t think it’ll be that bad. Rockstar has been making video games for a long, long time, and I’m sure they understand that in certain circumstances, ultra-realism can hurt the player experience. This is one of those cases.

It’s more likely that we’ll never have to worry about fuel if we use other people’s cars, and the only place this element will really come into play is in my first example — stealing a car low on gas. And, of course, you’ll have to worry about gas in your own daily driver if you use it often.

I’m almost certain something like this will feature to some extent, but then I was also certain it would come into play in GTA 5, and I was surprised GTA 4 didn’t already have something like this. So what do I know?

What do you think? Will we have to worry about gas in GTA 6?

4. Open-World Heists

Heists in GTA 5 were amazing, a huge step up from GTA 4, and I think we’re about to see another giant step-up. GTA 6 will feature heists; that much is certain, but I don’t think they’ll only be a part of the story. I think we’ll be able to conduct heists on targets in the open world, at our own discretion.

That’s my prediction, and now, for some crazy speculation. What if GTA 6 had an entire heist system, where you can tackle a few low-risk and low-cost heists to earn your first pennies? From there, you’d upgrade to taking on riskier heists, but you’d need a crew and equipment. These things cost money, and being the mastermind, you’re the bank on these heists as well.

If things go wrong and the heist fails, you lose your investment. No restarts, no quick respawns; you just lose out, and you have to rebuild your investment for another shot. Obviously, this could be a sick mechanic that could also be devastating to the player experience. But if you’re not up for the risk, you can stick to lower-risk heists and stay broke for the most part.

I’m almost sure we’ll see some form of this; I just hope that it’s done well and offers us plenty of side- and end-game content.

5. Deeper Property Management

Yep, you’ll be able to buy properties again, just like in GTA 5, of that I’m pretty sure. But how deep will it go this time? In GTA 5, the property management system was awful. Your business gets attacked (usually when you’re on the other side of the damn map), you need to rush back and do something, and then all is well. That, quite simply, was not a fun system.

In GTA 6, I can see things getting much deeper. Having to upgrade equipment, source and hire staff, dish out daily orders, or set working routines. You may need to handle a few sales, do a few favors, and through it all build the right partnerships to make your business as profitable as possible.

Maybe what we get won’t be quite so in-depth, but it would be pretty awesome.

6. RDR 2-Like Wanted and Prison System

We’ve seen masks in the trailers and various screenshots, a feature very reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption 2. It tracks, then, that we’ll see a similar wanted system where NPCs will remember your face. Commit a crime without a mask, and your victims will be able to identify you to police.

You will then likely be wanted in the area, and you’ll either have to wait out the cooldown or turn yourself in and pay a fine. Pretty much RDR 2’s wanted system.

I’m almost certain we’ll get something like this, and I’m not sure how to feel about it. It’s more realistic, but I wasn’t crazy about this wanted system, and I’m not sure I’m keen on seeing it in a GTA game. Losing a five-star wanted level was hard enough (without escaping underground) in GTA 5, and I’m not sure I want those five stars on my record.

But who knows, maybe we’ll get an option between modern and classical for the wanted system. What do you think?

7. Deeper Vehicle Customization

Maybe this is more of a desperate wish than a prediction, but I really, really hope we get more detailed vehicle customization options. We probably will, similar to the leap from GTA 4 to GTA 5, with new body kits, performance upgrades, and the like.

But do you know what I really want? If the game sticks my characters with a truck or a car that can hardly outpace a determined cyclist, you know I want to rip out that engine and stick a big-block V8 in there with a supercharger the size of my fridge. Please, Rockstar, I can’t bear another game where we get stuck with crappy vehicles for a full 40-odd hours, and have performance upgrades that take them from a crawl to… I don’t know, a slightly faster crawl. No thanks.

8. Different Scenes for Different Folks Across the City

Nightclubs, strip clubs, marinas, hiking trails – you can bet all of that will be returning to GTA 6. But what I’m really excited about are the different cultures we’re bound to run into across the city. From the screenshots, we’ve already seen there are bikers, hunters, poachers, racers, etc.

That’s my prediction (an easy one, sure), but what I hope we’ll see is the opportunity to become a part of those scenes. Got a hot Japanese tuner ready to go sideways around every corner? There’s a drifting scene for you. Do you prefer taking a couple tons of muscle down a straight road? Join the drag club (not that kind of drag; get your mind out of the gutter). And if you prefer hard, precise lines and German engineering, join the racing meets.

I’ve used car culture in my example, but you get the idea – I hope there are various subcultures in the city, each with their own missions and dynamic events. Say you’re part of a biker gang, and you meet another biker gang in your travels; you might get into a scuffle, maybe even a shootout. Kind of like San Andreas, where meeting a Baller in the streets led to instant combat.

What gave me this idea was the car meets and lowrider scenes we get to glimpse in the trailers and screenshots so far, the club scenes, the hunting scenes, etc. I think there’s a real possibility we do get something like this, though it almost certainly won’t be as detailed and varied as I’d like it to be.

9. A Stronger Story

I never played RDR 1, but RDR 2 is one of my favorite games ever. GTA 4 is my favorite in that franchise so far. I love a good, strong story, and the story in GTA 5 felt like a huge step backwards for the series. It was almost as though Rockstar just rushed out a flavorless “whatever” story in favor of getting GTA Online up and running.

But then RDR 2 showed some serious maturity in its storytelling, slowly building conflicts between characters and really creating a rich, complete experience. I really, really hope that GTA 6 follows in those footsteps. I don’t want another story that feels rushed and surface-level.

And you know what? I think that’s exactly what we’ll get. I predict that our GTA 6 story will challenge us, make us feel something, and will ultimately be a rich, rewarding experience. I do think there are some predictable elements revolving around the story, like the fact that Brian Heder will almost certainly betray us, but there’s a lot more than one betrayal to this story; I can feel it.

10. Microtransactions In-Game

It is with a very heavy heart that I predict the potential reality of in-game microtransactions. The way the Ultimate vs. Standard edition was portrayed by Rockstar is deeply concerning. Furthermore, they’ve decided to lock a trailer premiere behind a subscription service.

The way I’m seeing this, Take-Two has become really money-hungry, and it shows. I hope I’m wrong, I really do, but I would not at all be surprised if we open up our in-game browser, scoot over to Luxury Autos (or the GTA 6 equivalent), and see a few premium options being available for real-world money. And the same for clothing, properties, and homes.

Things seem to be skewing in that direction, and it makes me feel just a little sick as a lifetime fan of the series. It’s obvious that we’ll get microtransactions in GTA Online, that’s always been a thing, but in a single-player game made by Rockstar? I’m not sure I’m ready for that.

Honorable Mention: User-Generated Games

We will be getting some form of User-Generated Content (UGC), that much is for sure. I’ve been imagining something like Roblox, a database of games within GTA 6, with all sorts of variations available to create truly unique experiences. I may not be too far off.

What’s for certain is that it won’t be part of GTA 6, but rather the online variation thereof. And hence, it gets an honorable mention, and not a spot in the main article.

According to an interview with Gerard Williams, a.k.a. “HipHopGamer,” GTA 6 will produce millionaires with its UGC scene. That makes it sound Roblox-esque, for sure, but in a much more detailed world. Roblox for adults, as I’ve been calling it.

Only time will tell what exactly this scene looks like when it emerges, though.

Over to you: what do you think we’ll see in GTA 6 that we’ve never seen in a GTA game before?