Early Grand Theft Auto 6 details have sparked debate about whether Rockstar Games’ latest is too realistic for its own good.
We’ve learned a lot about GTA 6 since its big extended look reveal. While the 13-year wait for Jason and Lucia’s story already seems worth it for some, others fear Rockstar has taken its commitment to realistic gameplay a bit too seriously when it comes to its new open-world video game.
The studio is known for packing its games with details that fans could spend years combing through – and for better or worse, GTA 6 seems no different. Co-development lead Rob Nelson promised as much during a recent interview with content creator TGG. One element where the new Grand Theft Auto will differ from its predecessor involves how NPCs react to guns, with Nelson teasing that you can’t just wander around with an RPG and expect zero pushback.
“The reactions are much more nuanced than before,” he said. “So, if you’ve got a long gun on your back, you should be fine. If you’ve got one in your hand, people don’t like it, and they react and start moving away from you. The more guns you carry and the way you carry them matters.
“If cops see you they will give you a warning. If you hold a long arm in both hands as though you are ready to fire it, things begin to escalate.”
It certainly sounds more Red Dead Redemption 2 than Grand Theft Auto 5. Fans generally feel the 2013 GTA game thrives on mayhem, whereas the 2018 cowboy simulator found strength in its quiet, grounded moments. Nelson admitted that, in 2026, times have changed, explaining that Rockstar didn’t “feel that works any longer at this resolution – with the behavioral sophistication we need from our population now.”
“In GTA 5 you can pull out a shotgun from nowhere in front of people and they don’t react,” he elaborated. “That doesn’t work here.”
Even a slight shift toward a more realistic Vice City is something fans have expected from GTA 6 for some time, but that doesn’t make Nelson’s comments any less worth discussing. Should Rockstar lean on the cartoonish chaos GTA is known for, or sprinkle in the realism that made RDR2 special? That’s the question many have found themselves asking the last few days.
“Next this game will make you file tax returns,” one fan joked.
“I’m here for as full of an immersion as they can make,” another argued, “RDR2 is the best game I’ve ever played and I love that they are making GTA 6 more like it.”
Other fans fall somewhere in the middle, with one Reddit user pointing out that “At the point I pull out a gun I’m probably gonna do something worse than brandishing so this is fine.”
remember carrying c4, rpgs, molotovs and like 10 guns at once in gta5 those days are over
😓— kashmarth (@kashmarth) September 4, 2026
When does a video game stop being a video game
— emosxyual (@emosxyual) September 7, 2026
Rockstar is surely keenly aware of the balancing act it needs to pull off, but that didn’t stop it from adding in more realistic elements. One mechanic present in other open-world sandbox games that will make its GTA debut in November will ask players to keep an eye on their car’s gas. Yes, really.
In what leans more into the realism department, Nelson confirmed to TGG in a separate video that gas stations will allow players to repair and even refuel their vehicles. The YouTuber said filling up your car “typically isn’t very expensive” and takes only about 10 seconds to do. It’s no surprise to hear Rockstar already anticipated players being a bit torn when it asked players to bring car chases to a halt with a quick pitstop.
“That’s pretty fast for a fill up,” Nelson said when getting gas during TGG’s preview event. “You can’t complain about that!”
GTA 6 fans have, in fact, complained about that.
So in GTA 6 I have to:
-eat
-sleep
-go to the gym
-nurture my relationship
-fill up my car with gasIsn’t the entire point of a video game to do things you can’t do in real life? This ultra-realism shit sounds exhausting
— brick (@FreeMarketDog) September 3, 2026
imagine seeing this in gta6 pic.twitter.com/E4RJ6AKHl1
— 🏆 – Andy (@codedandunited) September 7, 2026
I love that they added refueling to GTA 6
Imagine being chased by the cops and then suddenly your gas runs out near the swamps, so now you have to ditch the car and run through the swamps, dodging alligators AND cops.
It’s gonna result in so many unique gameplay moments! pic.twitter.com/87XIX6OpsC
— Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) September 7, 2026
“Oh I can complain buddy,” one Reddit user said. “I don’t even know anything about this and I’m complaining already.”
“It should make gameplay more interesting: you steal a car, run out of gas, have to continue on foot, try to find a gas station, or a new ride,” another theorized. “More variation than driving indefinitely until you crash or escape. I’m into it.”
“If I can’t pull up, standing their filling up whilst complaining about the price, then go inside to pay, standing behind someone who is buying 15 different chocolate bars and a s**tload of scratch cards then I don’t wanna play this realism simulator game!” one fan joked.
Rockstar’s desire to drop players into a realistic Vice City extends beyond a few new gameplay mechanics and features. This version of the Miami-inspired sandbox will also feature what is promised to be the most realistic map players have explored in the series thus far. With more lifelike guns and characters comes potentially more realistic romance options, too. Some couples have reported that falling in love with Jason or Lucia, or heading to an in-game strip club, is grounds for a real-life break-up. Ouch.
But wait, there’s more! GTA 6 will also track how Jason and Lucia are getting along in Vice City, including whether they’ve gotten enough beauty sleep in between heists. Nelson told TGG that players know whether the protagonists are well-rested enough, with sleep able to affect “regens of certain attributes.” One mechanic Rockstar eventually cut for being too realistic would have had players purchasing groceries to restock their refrigerator.
“We are always trying to find the right balance between realism and ease of play,” Nelson told Famitsu (translation by GamesRadar). “Rather than just going to the fridge to grab a snack or visiting a restaurant just to roleplay, we want to give meaning to each action.”
GTA 6 has (predictably) kicked up discourse months before its November 19 release date for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. That said, when it comes to the realistic elements in the game, one Reddit user nicely summed up how most will actually feel when they get their hands on the full release: “Just hope they remember to put the fun in. Realism is great, but if it’s too tedious it’ll be a bummer.”
We’ll know just how realistic gun restrictions, strip clubs, and fuel tanks will be when GTA 6 launches in a few months. While we wait, be sure to read up on IGN’s interview and preview. You can also learn about the new PS5 controllers Rockstar announced last week.
Michael Cripe
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
