3 biggest changes GTA series desperately needs

The GTA series has seen several drastic changes in its gameplay, world-building, and even the tone of storylines. For the next title in the franchise, Rockstar Games needs to look back to its past and implement those elements that brought massive success to this franchise back then. Features from past GTA titles or even the Red Dead Redemption games should be introduced to mix things up in the upcoming title.

Such content will ensure that the upcoming game doesn't feel too identical to its successors and is innovative enough to take the gaming industry by storm. With that in mind, here are three major changes that could take the GTA series into a new era.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of its writers.

---

3 major changes that will revitalize the GTA franchise

1) Word detail

Rockstar has always been a master of world-building in the open-world genre, starting with GTA 3, which was quite ahead of its time due to how lively Liberty City looked and felt back in 2001. More recently, this developer raised the stakes by making Red Dead Redemption 2, and fans expect Leonida in GTA 6 to offer a similar level of detail.

The game world shouldn't feel empty and made up of filler regions. For instance, despite having the largest world in the series, Grand Theft Auto 5's San Andreas map feels quite empty and boring.

In contrast, the 3D Universe San Andreas was filled with places to explore and things to do. The next game should have more towns and habitable locations, like in the original San Andreas and Red Dead Redemption games. The title should also feature more interiors and mysteries to uncover.

Easter eggs would be a great way to make the world feel more rewarding to explore, and some Strangers and Freaks random encounters should also be added to GTA 6.

---

2) More realism

Rockstar seems to have always experimented with realism for the Grand Theft Auto series. Where one game feels incredibly arcade-like, another might feel too realistic. If the studio's last few releases are taken into account, this series appears to be shifting more and more towards realism. Just like with the previous point, this is something that is very apparent in RDR2.

The 2022 GTA 6 leaks suggest that the upcoming game might also be implementing some realistic aspects, such as the reduced weapon-carrying capacity from Red Dead Redemption 2. The studio could also make use of the Cores feature from this game, where health, stamina, and the Dead Eye ability had to be maintained with food and other items. However, RDR2 wasn't as realistic as a survival game, so the realism felt well-balanced.

Rockstar also implemented some elements of realism in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, back in 2003. CJ has to eat to prevent starvation and weight loss. Eating too much makes him fat, while working out at gyms can help in reducing fat and gaining muscle. GTA 6 needs to implement the realistic elements of both these games.

---

3) More focus on single-player

For over a decade, fans have witnessed Rockstar slowly shift its attention completely towards Grand Theft Auto Online, the massively multiplayer component of Grand Theft Auto 5. While this seemed acceptable at first, as the multiplayer game was constantly getting updates that added new content, it turned out that this came at the cost of the single-player experience.

Grand Theft Auto 5 missed out on planned DLCs and expansions, as Rockstar simply found Grand Theft Auto Online to be more lucrative. It was confirmed by the recent GTA 5 source code leaks that the developers had initially planned for story mode DLCs.

It's worth noting that Red Dead Online fans also started complaining that Rockstar had abandoned that game as it rarely received any meaningful updates, especially when compared to Grand Theft Auto Online.

This is something that Rockstar should avoid when it comes to the next title. There should be more content meant solely for single-player, like in Episodes from Liberty City for Grand Theft Auto 4.