Six things we want from GTA 6

With the announcement that another GTA 6 Trailer will release alongside the opening up of the new Grand Theft Auto pre-orders, it’s time to once again think about the upcoming GTA 6 release date of November 19, 2026.

GTA 6 has been in development for so long, but all we’ve had to subsist off is what little info some press releases have provided, or beauty shots from trailers that we have to graft onto memories of GTA V. So, I’ve put together a little wishlist of things I’d like the new GTA 6 trailer to confirm, or to arrive with the full release.

An in-depth emotional crime drama

Rockstar Games has always done pretty well when it comes to their game narratives, but they have really set the bar after the absolute masterpiece of a story from Red Dead Redemption 2. In their first major follow-up, I can’t help but want GTA 6 to reach those heights, but through a more modern lens for our criminal protagonists.

Grand Theft Auto always has some excellent goofiness, sure, but the real standout moments of GTA V were the serious moments between the bombastic action. The absolute peak of GTA V wasn’t any of the car chases or any of the heists, but that intense confrontation between Trevor and Michael over the grave of their former friend. 

I want GTA 6 to shoot for the stars. It has the perfect setup with its dual protagonists in their contemporary Bonnie and Clyde set up, and the possibility for sweet tragedy or soul-nourishing catharsis has never been higher.

The ultimate playground

Grand Theft Auto has always provided some excellent sandboxes, and between GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2, we’ve seen some amazing worlds to run around in. GTA 6 is set to have its most ambitious map yet, rumoured to be twice as big as GTA V’s San Andreas. 

However, half of the GTA Vs map was just a giant mountain and nature reserve with barely any features. Size is a great thing to aim for, but it doesn’t mean anything if there’s nothing to look at. I want GTA 6’s State of Leonida to have depth.

It can’t all just be nature or urban sprawl; there should be interesting landmarks, a sense of history, and wordless storytelling that you can just stumble upon. If GTA 6’s map can be wide and deep, then it might just set a bar that no other game will ever reach.

Fashion so good it’s a crime

Customization is such a core part of any sandbox game, but there’s still a part of Grand Theft Auto that is still chasing the level of customization in games like Saints Row 2, or even just Red Dead Redemption 2. I love that we can change clothes, get a haircut, or modify our cars, but I’d like to see even more.

In a game like GTA 6, buying upgrades for practical reasons is one thing, but I want to see my personal progress. Guns should come with that same customisation as Red Dead Redemption 2, not just for their performance, but to really deck them out with custom grips and metals.

Whenever I buy a safehouse, I don’t want it to come just as is. By the end of the game, I’ll have so much money that I want to be able to change the wallpaper, the exterior, maybe even add new rooms. If I’m living the American dream through criminal acts, if I want a cinema room and a mini bar tacked onto my penthouse, I should be able to get one.

Time waster simulator

As we’ve established, GTA 6’s playground needs to be dense to give me a feeling of scale, but it should also be interactive. GTA V thrived because of its stupidly generous amount of endless activities, and this life-sim element is a core part of the GTA experience.

We’re a long way from just going bowling with your cousin, and GTA 6 should take the challenge to try and outdo even the Yakuza series. Golf and tennis are a given, sure, so is something like darts, but we can do better. 

Why not bring in some karaoke, or maybe even dancing? We’re in Vice City; we could even throw in a surfing simulator, or volleyball, or even pick up some DJing at the local club! GTA 6 has been in development for so long; this world should be overflowing with meaningless distractions from the main story.

The weirdos and personalities

I want my GTA 6 drama to have stakes and seriousness, but you can’t have a Rockstar Games world if you’re not going to populate it with the freaks and geeks. Sidequests and strangers add so much texture and love to Rockstar’s games, and as things get more real, they can really reflect the weirdness onto the story.

GTA 6’s map has big cities, small towns, and the middle of nowhere, all ready to be filled with random encounters for our protagonists to deal with.

Which new cult will we find in the wetlands? What celebrities shall be in over their heads in the centre of Vice City? What references and characters will return?

Just watch out if anyone’s asking you to pilot an RC helicopter. I just know that Rockstar will make that mission as annoying as possible just as a homage to the original Vice City.

Actual satire

Grand Theft Auto has always existed as a parody of America at one state or another. It pokes fun at its radio personalities, its culture of violence, the corruption of the police, the rampant presence of the military, or just the cults of personality surrounding celebrity and tech CEOs.

However, we’re currently in a world where satire struggles to keep up with reality. The real world is often more ridiculous or stupid than fiction, and everything is changing faster than anybody can write about it.

The world that GTA 6 was originally conceived in no longer exists, and any moments that could be thought of as relevant must have been written and rewritten a thousand times by now. It’s going to be an uphill struggle for Rockstar to keep up with the changes and still hit the mark.

Is it even possible for GTA 6 to be parodying the right things? I want to believe that GTA 6 can be a sharp and relevant satire of a culture that always deserves a good needling. I’m not sure that such comedy can exist as “timeless” anymore, and it’s probably the thing that will be hardest to get right.

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