// PC GAMER — GAMING
What do you think of the GTA 6 reveal?
Was the Netflix preview everything you’ve ever wanted, or a dud?
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Ever since Rockstar opened pre-orders, I've been ritualistically checking every potential avenue for a more substantial look at GTA 6. I can't say the Rockstar-Netflix collab was the route I expected for the next reveal, but the day is finally here, and we've got 26 minutes of new GTA 6 footage to unpack.
It's a lot for any one person to pick apart, but fortunately I work with a bunch of GTA brains and suspect the lot of you reading this are too. I've asked my colleagues to share some of those highlights, but I also want to hear from you—the reader. What do you think of the latest GTA 6 reveal? Have a scroll through our thoughts, and let us know in the comments.
Reading IGN's preview, I think it's neat that the name of this game series—which I'd guess actually comes to mind for most people ahead of the actual crime it's named for—still has some bearing on its design. Rockstar said it thought being able to hotwire every car you see "left a lot of potential gameplay on the table in terms of progression and decision-making for players," so you'll now need different equipment and skills to deal with an electronic lock or a lojack than you will to hotwire someone's rusted out beater. Promising that the most basic, repeated action you take in the game now has so much more going on!
I'm far more interested in the big, beautiful sandbox of GTA 6 than the story, so I'd have preferred fewer cutscenes and exposition and more time checking out everything you can do in the world besides shooting people in the head. We got some glimpses, but I think I'd have preferred a sort of "a day in the life" of Lucia and Jason, with maybe a bit of crime but more of an extended tour of the sort of activities you can do when you're not robbing stores and dealing drugs.
Obviously GTA is not Hitman, but I am digging the different ways to approach pulling off a crime and escaping the law afterwards. You can see how changing vehicles and clothes and other factors plays into your (six star) "wanted" level and see Lucia hot swapping into different clothes and disguises which seems neat instead of just: drive fast, corner hard, break line of sight.
So, yeah, all the criminal activity simulation looked great and everything. But did you see how magnificent those corner stores were? The immaculate displays of pretend chips? The signs for 4 for $3 deals on imaginary drink brands? The poster for rum that a man ran past as he was fearing for his life? That's peak art, to me.
There's a lot I liked about that gameplay reveal, but I was underwhelmed by the story missions Rockstar decided to highlight. They seemed very much in the Rockstar style that hasn't changed since the early GTA days—meet a colorful character, walk or drive while talking with them, then eventually shoot your way out of where you happen to be. It's a pattern that wore thin in Red Dead 2's story, and partly why I've never finished a replay despite it being a favorite. Rockstar is much better at making memorable worlds than memorable action. I hope GTA 6 changes that.
Look, I'll be honest, I'm not a GTA person and show up to most of these things with a bad attitude. But! I do really like Lucia, and she's shaping up to be the best shot this series has at winning me over. She stabbed a man in the eye with her heel and had a smartass quip about it ready in the chamber. She's perfect.