20 New GTA 6 Details From Rockstar's 90-Minute Hands-Off Demo

Less than two weeks from launch, Rockstar gave Edge magazine a 90-minute look at GTA 6 running on a PS5 at Rockstar North. There was no prepared route: co-studio head Rob Nelson picked up the controller and wandered Leonida, getting into trouble as he went. The resulting 16-page report is the clearest picture yet of how the game plays minute to minute. Here's everything that matters.

1. Breakfast has buffs

The demo started in Jason and Lucia's apartment. Coffee boosts stamina; a protein shake gives a health buff. Everyday consumables have gameplay effects. Health & stamina.

2. The world notices you immediately

Step outside and a seagull picking at food scraps flies off as Jason approaches.

3. Staring has consequences

Nelson held the camera on a muscular man walking his dog. The man noticed, challenged Jason, squared up — then unclipped the leash. Jason ran, the dog chased him down the sidewalk, a flock of pigeons scattered, and the dog eventually gave up and trotted back. Jason lit a cigarette and carried on.

4. Pedestrians have personalities

NPCs weigh aggression, temperament, location, what they've witnessed and how you treat them. Downtown Vice City and rural Leonida feel different. NPCs & living world.

5. 600,000 animations

Leonida's population uses roughly 600,000 animations, with a dedicated Los Angeles team of writers, directors and producers.

6. Weather is simulated, not switched

Clouds move independently with wind, humidity, fog, time of day and season. You can watch a storm build miles away from a sunny street. Weather.

7. The aftermath lingers

Roads stay wet, buildings drip, and surfaces dry at different rates.

8. Weather affects boats and aircraft

Wind shapes waves; sheltered bays stay calm while exposed water gets rough. Storms make aircraft harder to fly and can cause minor damage.

9. Longer days

GTA 5's day lasts 48 minutes. Rockstar tested the same timing and found it too fast — GTA 6's days and nights are longer.

10. Narrower roads

GTA 5's roads were deliberately oversized. GTA 6's are a believable width, making Vice City more congested.

11. Interiors with stories

Aaron Garbut described entering a house he'd never explored, full of family photos of a dog — and another room that dog had destroyed. Jason grimaced at the smell. The reaction was built for one location, then made systemic.

12. Steal from a cop car

Nelson found two officers making an arrest, opened their cruiser's trunk, took a shotgun, slung it and walked off.

13. People notice your weapons

A shotgun in your hands and one on your back get different reactions. You can drop weapons to de-escalate, and the game checks whether anyone actually witnessed your actions.

14. The heat system tracks evidence

Appearance, clothing, weapon, accomplice and camera footage are tracked as icons. Information goes stale: split up, change clothes or ditch a weapon and the description stops matching. Wanted system.

15. Spike strips and a police dog end a chase

Fleeing on a motorcycle with Lucia on the back, Nelson hit a spike strip at night. Both were thrown over the handlebars, got up limping — and a K9 pinned Jason. The room begged Nelson not to shoot the dog.

16. Switch mid-pursuit

You can switch between Jason and Lucia during some pursuits — one drives, the other shoots.

17. Carjacking is unpredictable

Some drivers flee before you reach the door, some resist, some are armed. Expensive cars may have trackers, and owners report thefts. Cars have fuel gauges and engine health, but long range and quick refuels.

18. Scooter Bros and the car-theft app

Scooter Bros delivers your vehicle for a small fee; the driver leaves on a scooter. Weapons are stored in your trunk. A separate app lists cars fences want, with security and tracker details; payout depends on condition. Vehicles.

19. Money gates the story

At points, Jason or Lucia must raise money before the next job — robbing gas stations, holding up jewellers, stealing cars for fences. Money.

20. Dynamic encounters, relationship and profile

A purple-underglow 4×4 taunted Jason into a street race his old station wagon couldn't win. Buses run on schedules (one developer has memorised the routes). The relationship uses a four-point closeness scale; Nelson wouldn't confirm or deny marriage. The criminal profile runs from professional to irredeemable.

And one more: "GTA 6 is ready"

Rockstar works in six-to-eight-week milestones, and late in development the list of things the team is allowed to change shrinks. Nelson's verdict: the game is ready. Research into Florida began around 2015, but Rockstar only committed fully to Jason and Lucia's story once Red Dead Redemption 2 shipped.