GTA 6 Is Going All-In on Realism, Character Depth and Player Freedom

By Jaymo | Today at 8:01pm

After the terrible week that Rockstar had with all the leaks, story spoilers, and other things they had to deal with, they finally released one of the most detailed articles about GTA 6 yet! The game’s two protagonists, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, appear on the cover of Dazed for their first global print appearance. And not only does the print look beautiful, but it also contains a huge amount of exclusive details that you definitely did not hear about yet, and a few new screenshots as well!

The extensive interview with Rockstar covers everything from the game’s fictional state of Leonida and its version of Vice City to Jason and Lucia’s relationship, the new approach to NPCs, character customization, and Rockstar’s attempts to make the world more reactive than ever.

And if there is one thing that seems particularly clear from the interview, it is that GTA 6 is combining the freedom and chaos of GTA with the grounded realism they explored in Red Dead Redemption 2. SO we went over the entire article, and we pulled together a smaller recap of the most important information! But if you want to know everything, I recommend you read over the Dazed Exclusive Deep Dive.

GTA 6 Wants a More Reactive World

GTA 6 will take players to Leonida, Rockstar’s fictional take on Florida, with Vice City once again serving as the game’s main location. But this time, Vice City is only one part of a much larger world. You will also be able to explore areas such as the Leonida Keys, Vice Beach and Mount Kalaga National Park, with the environments and people changing considerably depending on where you are.

Rockstar says they have also been working on making NPCs feel more like actual inhabitants of the world and not just background characters. For example, walking through a public area carrying a rifle can cause people around you to react differently. Clothing, appearance, and behaviour will also vary depending on where characters live and what kind of lives they lead.

The goal is clearly to make Leonida feel like a place that exists independently of the player. And that is where Red Dead Redemption 2 appears to have had a big influence. Rockstar wants the world to feel more grounded and immersive, but at the same time, they still want to retain everything that makes GTA, well… GTA. Cars, guns, crime, ridiculous situations and plenty of opportunities to cause absolute chaos are obviously still part of the game.

GTA’s Bonnie & Clyde

The biggest change to the series’ protagonists is probably the relationship between Jason and Lucia.

Jason is described as an ex-military drug runner, and Lucia has recently left prison. Together, they form the central duo of GTA 6, with Rockstar describing their story as having a Bonnie and Clyde-style dynamic. You will be able to switch between the two characters, including during certain action sequences. That means you could be controlling Jason as you drive before quickly switching to Lucia to shoot from the passenger seat, for example.

The pair will also spend time together outside of missions. Rockstar already showed a bit more of their personal relationship and quieter moments throughout the trailers we have seen so far.

That relationship seems to be considerably more important than the romantic elements we have seen in previous GTA games.

And unlike GTA V, where the three protagonists were connected through their criminal lives, Jason and Lucia’s relationship is a big part of the game’s identity.

Lucia Is Also a Big Change for the Series

Lucia is particularly special because she is the first fully developed female protagonist in a main GTA game since the franchise moved away from the multiple playable characters of the original games. Rockstar has previously faced plenty of criticism over how it portrays women, so giving Lucia a central role is an interesting change for the series.

They also seem determined to make both protagonists feel like real characters and not just sort of empty vessels for the player. You will still have plenty of freedom, but Jason and Lucia have their own personalities and identities. That is an important distinction for Rockstar. Player freedom does not necessarily mean the protagonist has to be blank and boring.

Your Actions Can Even Change Jason and Lucia’s Bodies

One of the more funny details from the interview is how Rockstar is expanding its approach to character bodies. Food can affect Jason and Lucia’s weight, and exercising can build their muscles.

Their appearance can also change depending on how they spend their time.

So if you spend your days partying, eating badly, and generally treating Leonida like your personal playground, your character could eventually look different from someone who spends their time exercising and taking care of themselves. It is another example of Rockstar trying to make the player’s behaviour leave a physical mark on the world.

Rockstar Has Been Researching Florida for Years

Rockstar also went surprisingly seriously into researching Florida itself. In the interview, we learn that Rockstar employees have often visited Miami, and a dedicated research team has been based there. The team has spoken to people including former criminals, law enforcement officers, club promoters and gun dealers, alongside researching the region through books, journalism and other sources.

That is particularly important because Florida is already famous online for its weird stories and the infamous “Florida Man” phenomenon. And when you come from Europe, you often hear a lot of odd things about Florida. So it will be really funny and interesting to see that in-game. Maybe it will be really like stepping into this world! Rockstar obviously has plenty of material to work with, but the developers do not want Leonida to simply become a collection of internet jokes about Florida.

Instead, the goal appears to be to make the world feel authentic first, and let the memes come naturally from that.

Vice City Is Built Around Music, Fashion and Social Media

The world of GTA 6 will also have a much bigger cultural identity. Rockstar has highlighted Miami’s musical history, including Miami bass and contemporary hip-hop, and the fact that nightlife plays a big role in Vice City. The game will feature fictional musicians, clubs, entertainment businesses and social-media personalities, with characters such as Real Dimez representing the rise of online celebrity culture.

Social media will also be integrated into the game itself, with Jason and Lucia able to use their phones and browse in-game feeds. So you might want to be careful and not spend your time scrolling the in-game version of TikTok for hours.

Rockstar is also putting considerable effort into clothing and fictional brands, with different parts of Leonida having their own distinct styles. In other words, Vice City is not just supposed to look like Miami.

It is supposed to feel like Miami.

NPCs Are Getting More Detailed Than Ever

Rockstar is also pushing its NPC technology much further. The game’s population will feature characters with different ages, body types, clothing, hairstyles, tattoos, cosmetic surgery, and social backgrounds. Someone walking around Little Cuba should not necessarily look or behave like someone hanging around a luxury area of Vice City or hiking through the wilderness.

Rockstar has even recruited more than 50 real street artists to create murals inspired by Miami’s street-art culture! And suddenly, it does start to make sense as to why this game took so long to be made. The developers are essentially trying to make even the background characters contribute to the sense that Leonida is a real place.

GTA 6 Still Wants You to Do Absolutely Nothing

Despite all this focus on realism, Rockstar does not seem interested in turning GTA 6 into a serious life simulator. We will still be able to ignore the story completely and spend hours simply driving around, exploring, listening to music, or getting into trouble. That is where the balance between realism and freedom becomes important.

Rockstar’s goal does not appear to be making GTA 6 realistic for realism’s sake. Instead, the extra detail is supposed to make the player’s freedom more convincing.

You can still do ridiculous things. The difference is that the world around you should react to them in a more believable way.

GTA 6 Is Bringing Together GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2

After everything revealed in the Dazed interview, perhaps the easiest way to describe Rockstar’s ambition for GTA 6 is as a combination of its two biggest recent games.

GTA V gave players an enormous amount of freedom, satire and chaotic possibilities.
Red Dead Redemption 2 pushed Rockstar’s world-building, character animation, realism and environmental immersion much further.

GTA 6 appears to be trying to bring those two together. You will still be able to steal cars, shoot people, rob businesses and cause complete mayhem. But Rockstar wants the world around you to feel significantly more alive when you are doing all of this. And considering GTA 6 has now been in development for well over a decade, Rockstar clearly has a lot to reveal.

As a reminder, the first official extended look at the game will release on Netflix and YouTube in a few hours, so we will soon have plenty more to share!