GTA VI Predictions: Multiple cities, character returns and gameplay

Modified Jun 24, 2020 11:47 GMT

Rockstar Games are known to give each of their games a lot of time in development, giving each title the care and attention to detail it requires. The GTA franchise is the crown jewel of Rockstar Games, and the last installment, GTA V, came out in 2013.

Since then, they have come out with GTA: Online, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead: Online. Their last main title being Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, which was a critical and commercial success.

The pressure on Rockstar to deliver a great GTA installment with the next game couldn't be higher, thanks to expectations reaching new heights with the nuanced and emotional Red Dead Redemption 2.

The internet has been rife with rumors, speculation and predictions regarding GTA VI. However, an investigation into Rockstar Games regarding its work culture by Kotaku resulted in a large information leak, which has been the source of speculation since.

Here, we look at some of the predictions for GTA VI

5) Multiple city locations

It has long been the goal of Rockstar Games to incorporate all the locations they have visited in the GTA franchise into one big map. But it seems too ambitious a move to include San Andreas, Liberty City and Vice City into one map.

However, the report from Kotaku and speculation regarding the location for GTA VI suggests that players will be able to visit other locations as well, including those from previous games.

A South American setting, inspired by Rio de Janeiro, has always been speculated as a location that might be visited in GTA VI.

Brazil was the setting of Rockstar's Max Payne 3

4) Younger versions of familiar characters

Martin Madrazo could make a return in GTA 6

The report by Kotaku claimed that GTA VI, as of April 2020, has been in early development under the working title of Project Americas. The details of the reports pointed to GTA VI being set in the 1980s, and follows the protagonist, who is part of a drug cartel.

The 1980s was also the era GTA Vice City was set in, and was loved by fans. The music, the characters and feel of the 80s are something fans have wished to go back to in GTA VI.

This means that perhaps younger versions of characters such as Martin Madrazo from GTA V could be making a return.

3) Lean towards RPG elements

GTA San Andreas introduced several RPG elements (altgaming, youtube)

There has always been a certain degree of incorporation of RPG elements into the GTA games, with GTA: San Andreas even featuring a health system that would take damage if CJ did not eat properly.

These were stripped back over the next games. However, fans are expecting a lot more gameplay depth from the next GTA game.

Perhaps introducing more RPG elements to the games will satisfy the fans' need for a much more in-depth game than the previous entries.

2) A more serious tone

GTA V saw Rockstar Games go back to a lighter tone after their experiment with GTA IV's darker one did not yield the results they had anticipated. However, there is a large section of the player base who loved the tone of GTA IV.

Perhaps, if Rockstar can balance the serious and light-hearted tones in GTA VI, it might result in one of the best narratives in a GTA game ever.

The Kotaku report claimed that GTA VI would be heavily-inspired by Narcos, and emulating the frantic energy, pace and the tone of the hit show would be great for the next game.

1) In-depth narcotics management system

Since GTA VI will likely be taking heavy inspiration from Netflix's Narcos, and will follow the protagonist as they rise up through the ranks of a drug cartel, the game will introduce a management system akin to RPG games.

Having a sub-system in a game where the player will need to manage the operations of their criminal empire would be a great addition to GTA VI. This is akin to systems seen in GTA: Online, where players need to manage their businesses and sell off inventory and the likes to maintain profitability.

This will add a lot of depth to the gameplay and make it more immersive as well.

Edited by Ravi Iyer