5 things GTA 6 needs to do for a generational leap

GTA fans have been waiting for the latest installment in the series for a long time, as the last title came out more than a decade ago. Their wait is finally coming to an end, as Rockstar Games has set a 2025 release for their highly anticipated title. With the game being under development for so many years, most players expect to see massive changes that would start a new generation of video games.

Rockstar is perfectly capable of doing so, as evidenced by their previous three titles — Grand Theft Auto 4 and 5, as well as Red Dead Redemption 2. With that in mind, here are some steps they can take to ensure that their upcoming title, GTA 6, will leap over to the next generation.

Note: The article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

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5 things that would make GTA 6 advance to the next generation

1) A larger map

GTA 6 needs to have a much larger open-world map for it to feel truly next-gen. However, this map must have things to do so it doesn't feel empty. Grand Theft Auto 5 had a massive map, but it felt empty and bland. Another reason for this was the road network, which made it too easy to cruise around and reach any point on the map, making the world feel smaller.

The clever placement of the different towns and settlements and a rougher landscape that's hard to traverse will make for a more engaging game world. The trailer already gave some hints as to how big Leonida truly is, and the GTA 6 mapping community has shown off the massive scale of the new Vice City.

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2) Much more interiors

A persistent complaint about Grand Theft Auto 5 is that it lacks enough explorable interiors. Despite having the largest map in the series, there aren't many interiors in the game. One reason for this could be the seamless interiors feature. Unlike in previous 3D Universe titles, GTA 5 doesn't have a hidden interior universe that's loaded separately when the player walks into a marker.

All interiors in Grand Theft Auto 5 are loaded at the same time as the open-world map. Now, since the game was launched first on PS3 and Xbox 360, this might have prevented Rockstar from adding too many interiors, as it would bring down the performance. However, there are no such constraints with the next game, which is launching on PS5 and Xox Series X|S.

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3) Lifelike facial animations

Facial animations can be a major factor in making a game feel realistic and immersive. GTA 5's facial animations have aged quite well despite the game looking a bit dated in terms of graphics. This is because the faces of the protagonists are directly based on their actors — Ned Luke, Steven Ogg, and Shawn Fonteno.

With Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar took it up a notch, which is why the game often feels like a movie at times. The GTA 6 trailer looked quite promising, as the visual fidelity of Jason and Lucia looked stunning and lifelike during the cutscenes. Since Rockstar does cutscenes in real time, the characters are expected to look as good as they did in the trailer.

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4) Next-gen graphics

No game can take a generational leap without having impressive visuals, and the same can be said about GTA 6. Grand Theft Auto 5 and its Online counterpart are over a decade old now, and even though the latest version features updated visuals, it pales in comparison to most modern AAA titles. However, with each HD Universe game, Rockstar has pushed the boundaries of graphical clarity, starting with GTA 4.

Red Dead Redemption 2, which was launched five years after Grand Theft Auto 5, still holds up against some of the most graphically intensive titles, even today. From what was seen in the trailer, it seems like Rockstar will set a new standard with the next game, and some of that might be revealed in Trailer 2 for GTA 6.

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5) Destructible environments

This feature is long overdue in the Grand Theft Auto series, but it would be a massive leap forward in terms of technology. It's hard to create destructible environments on a map as massive as a Grand Theft Auto title, but if implemented properly, it would make the game much more immersive.

Open-world game franchises like Just Cause and Mercenaries have done it way back in the past, so Rockstar should look forward to using this feature as well. GTA 4 also has some level of destructibility, as certain small structures could be blown up or broken down with explosives or vehicles. As such, the next game should reimplement this feature and take it even further, making certain buildings destructible.