Recently, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier revealed extensive behind-the-scenes details about GTA VI's development. In a recent exchange with Art Director Aaron Garbut, it was confirmed that the roads in GTA VI will be significantly narrower than those in Grand Theft Auto V.
This will be a huge change for veteran GTA players. Grand Theft Auto V's Los Santos is based on real-life Los Angeles and California, featuring wide roads that give players plenty of space to speed around. Interestingly, while real-life Los Angeles is notorious for severe traffic jams, this aspect is almost entirely absent in GTA V's Los Santos.
In GTA VI, streets will be narrower, and traffic will be denser. For instance, when players are being chased by the police and need to make a high-speed escape, this will present a new challenge. Reportedly, this was a design direction established by Rockstar during the project's conceptual phase. However, narrowing the roads also increases the workload, as the art team needs to fit more buildings and environmental objects into the map of Leonida.
Schreier also discussed the weapon system in GTA VI. According to his conversation with lead Rob Nelson, the team wants the game's weapon mechanics to be more akin to Red Dead Redemption 2. In GTA V, characters can carry an entire arsenal, whereas RDR2's design is more restrained, allowing players to carry only two handguns and two long guns, with other weapons accessed via the saddlebag.
Inspired by this approach, there were intense internal discussions about whether to keep the series' long-standing weapon wheel. The development team tested various weapon selection UI prototypes, including tray-style and grid-based interfaces. However, after multiple rounds of testing, the team ultimately decided to return to the proven weapon wheel system.
GTA VI is scheduled to launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, with no official announcement for a PC version yet. However, rumors suggest that Rockstar has adjusted its porting plans, aiming to release the PC version sooner after the console launch.