Crypto, Poker, and Phil Collins: What we want in GTA 6

“What do you want to see in GTA 6?” That’s the very simple question I asked every member of staff at VG247 in order to gauge what the current mood is around the game. Do people want more of the same? It’d make sense – after all, Grand Theft Auto 5 is the best-selling game of all time, and by some margin. If it ain’t broke, the idiom goes, don’t fix it. But we’ve also been playing around as Trevor, Michael, and Franklin for a decade now, and maybe that whole setup is starting to get a bit rote.

Maybe the days of the chauvinistic, gun-toting maniac that has a penchant for driving a tank into an airfield are over. Maybe the more madcap days of Vice City and San Andreas are due a return. Maybe Rockstar will ignore literally everyone on the planet and march to the beat of its own indefatigable drum once again, surpassing all expectations and making a frankly obscene amount of money in the process. Who knows? The game is likely to be as ground-breaking as everything else in the series, but until it comes out, all we can do is dream idly about what we’d like to see in gaming’s most anticipated sandbox.

And I think you’ll like our suggestions. They all feel very on-brand.

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Rockstar lore – Rebecca

The only Rockstar game I've ever actually sat down and played all the way through is L.A. Noire, but thanks to the near-total pop culture saturation of the GTA and Red Dead franchises, I feel like I've got a pretty good handle on core Rockstar lore. Which is why, as a lore nerd in good standing, a feature that would make me really sit up and take notice when GTA6 releases is some interconnectivity with Red Dead, L.A. Noire, Bully, etc. et. al.

I'm mainly thinking of fun easter eggs and sly references, but at the same time, if Rockstar were to let me play as Cole Phelps' rebellious granddaughter, I would melt into a puddle of continuity-loving delight.

Poker (and other mini-games) – James

I want mini-games and mechanics that are way more involved than they have any right to be.

Whether it's realistic gym gains in San Andreas or cheating at Texas Hold 'Em poker in Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games has a long history of sweating the small stuff.

As game worlds have gotten bigger and shinier with advancing technology, I feel like it's often these quirky, unique systems that get left by the wayside. If GTA 6 is going to truly impress after so many years of anticipation it probably won't be down to the size and scale of its map, but the reactiveness of its smallest and most immersive mechanics.

Actually, this is just a fancy way of saying I want to be sick when I eat too much pizza again, is that REALLY too much to ask? We're talking about the company who made a whole table tennis game just to flex here!

A boring life-sim mode for dads – Jim

You ever just want to chill tf out? Look, I love the daft endless crime spree aspect of GTA as much as anyone. Screaming down the wrong side of the highway with abandon, shooting out the tyres of oncoming traffic just to see if I can, not giving much of a toss if you get arrested and/or murdered by a cop because, in stark contrast to the nation it claims to be a biting satire of, the healthcare system in GTA is excellent and cheap.

But one of the best things you can do in GTA (and indeed, any other game with such a solid sense of place) is simply inhabit it. See the sights. Grab a hot dog on the beach. See a comedy gig, maybe, or go bowling. When you want to just kick back and be a citizen, most GTA games have you covered to some extent. I would love to see this expanded into a full blown life-sim in GTA 6, with a selection of jobs available – everything from working the fryer at Burger Shot to dealing little bags of white powder – and some general expenses you have to spend your hard earned money on, like fuel, food, rent, etc. And, as well as a fuel gauge on cars, a driving sim model that allows you to follow the rules of the road, and use turn signals and things. An optional Poindexter Mode to really ground you in the world.

A lot of people might read this and think I’ve gone mad, because it sounds tedious as hell, but here’s the thing: a greatly expanded life-sim aspect would be a great palate cleanser between missions, and provide a lot of post-game longevity without requiring people to try and get into an extremely annoying MMO once they’ve finished all the setpiece crime capers. It’s not like GTA doesn’t already cater for the off-mission life, but enhancing it with more mundane concerns and a lite survival mode would give it a similar appeal to job simulators like Euro Truck Simulator or Elite: Dangerous, in addition to its already burgeoning appeal as, y’know, GTA.

And let's face it: simulating normal life as a working class American trying to make ends meet in an economy that’s specifically designed to keep you poor, miserable, and unhealthy would be a far more cutting form of satire than renaming NASDAQ to BAWSAQ.

‘Disney’land – Alex

For me, it's a piece of the world: I want to see Florida's theme park industry represented. Specifically, I'll feel robbed if Rockstar doesn't this time level its satirical eye upon Disneyland.

Vice City is of course based off Miami, and Miami is in Florida - and in a crazy case of capitalism-gone-wild, the Walt Disney Company accounts for something like 2.5% of the GDP of the entire state. One in 50 jobs in the state are allegedly thanks to the company. This has been in the news recently, in fact, as the company locks horns with politicians, showcasing the enormous power it wields. Combine this with the fact that Disney now feels like it owns half the damn entertainment industry and giving them some GTA representation feels inevitable.

Sure – Miami is the opposite end of the state to where Disney World is. It's like a three-hour drive, in fact. But GTA typically has no problem condensing the features of its states, so I really hope we get an awful, artificial, magical theme park we can visit as part of the open world and story.

Crypto/NFT scams – Connor

As GTA is at its best when parodying modern American trends and various Western BS, I'd die to see some Crypto scams in there. Those who've played GTA Online know that it's super easy over time to horde millions upon millions of dollars that you've just gotta splurge on random boats and cars you don't need. What I want is the ability to spend $50 million on a useless gorilla JPEG that I can lazily slap onto a shirt or car I own. It has to look awful too; like the worst thing you can get in the game!

Phil Collins – Kelsey

What do I want to see in GTA 6? A lot of things, really, but anything that makes the game more immersive and believable would go a long way in making me want to play GTA again. I want to see more animals in GTA 6, a strong female protagonist and more realistic NPCs... Though, I think it would be nice to see real-life celebrities in-game again, too. If GTA 6 managed to include in-game events involving said celebrities, even better!

Now, I don't want to see GTA 6 turn into some sort of Fortnite-adjacent metaverse, but I think it would be pretty cool to take part in crossovers like Vice City Stories' rendezvous with Phil Collins. It would be a good excuse for the return of single-player DLC, too...

Better running – Sherif

I don’t want to press A or X to run in GTA 6. I’m sorry, it’s well past time Rockstar got off its high horse and admitted defeat on this one. Most of what you do in GTA games is run and gun, and I don’t need to tell you how outdated (and cumbersome) it is to press the button – that’s typically bound to jump in most games – if you want to run. I realise binding run to A/X is part of Rockstar’s character at this point, but GTA 6 should, at the very least, offer a different control scheme for those of us who want it to play like a normal video game.

Consequences for your actions – Stephany

GTA allows you to engage in activities you never would in real life, like carjacking, corruption, robbery, and murder, all contrary to your moral compass. That's what makes it damn fun.

The series has always been a lightning rod for controversy due to its gritty portrayal of crime, violence, and adult themes, but the games are also known for social commentary, and it explores such themes with satirical humor, thus making you chuckle while thinking about any messages being conveyed.

With that in mind, there is one element from a previous installment I would like to see return with GTA 6: sex workers fighting back.

If I remember correctly, sex workers were added to the series with the release of GTA 3, and with most entries, once you paid for their services, you could get your money back by beating them up or running over them with your car. That's not a very nice thing to do, and while a particularly controversial aspect, it was still a gameplay option.

GTA San Andreas was much the same in that you could encounter sex workers on the streets; however, this time, if you attacked them, they would defend themselves using various weapons, including knives, pistols, or even their fists. This added an unexpected layer of realism to the game, as it challenged you to consider the consequences of your actions within the game's virtual world.

In subsequent GTA titles, this feature was notably absent. Sex workers in GTA 4 and GTA 5 were more passive and did not retaliate if attacked. But, as discussions about GTA 6 gain momentum, I feel a return to the more realistic portrayal of sex workers defending themselves could serve several purposes: it would add realism and encouragement to think twice before committing acts of violence by adding depth to the decision-making process while providing commentary on the dangers faced by sex workers in the real world.

This can be accomplished quite easily without coming across as preachy. This is Rockstar Games we're talking about, and the developers could easily maintain the game's satirical humor and still make a serious point just by using dialogue and actions. As I said, it can be done seamlessly without the developers coming across as "woke" or even the opposite end of the spectrum (namely; sardonic).

Rockstar Games is, and has always been, a studio with a counterculturist mindset that pushes boundaries and explores contentious subjects in its videogames. But it accomplishes this in a very biting and waggish manner, almost jeering at the underbelly of society by providing players the option of being one of the absolute worst society has to offer. That, in reality, is what makes the games fun and, oftentimes, hilarious.

Reveling in being a bad guy aside, the ability for sex workers to fight back in GTA 6 would provide not only a level of realism and potential consequences but could also end up being very comical.

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More excited than ever for GTA 6? Check outour constantly updated guide to all things GTA 6. Or read about how we hope it isn't too edgy. Or the fact it'll have a hard time being funny when parody is dead.