GTA 6 Will Make Stealing Cars Harder — and Driving Takes More Skill, Rockstar Says

Stealing a car in Grand Theft Auto VI will not be as simple as pressing a button. Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson told IGN that the next GTA adds "layers of stratification" to vehicles, meaning some parked cars stay locked until players progress through the story and acquire the right tools to break in. Players can still carjack any driver they see on the street, but the instant hotwire-and-go of previous games is gone (Eurogamer).

The changes are part of a broader push toward realism. Nelson said GTA 6's streets are narrower and scaled more authentically, and the density of road traffic makes simply getting around harder than before. Driving, he said, will be "more challenging" than in any previous Grand Theft Auto game and will require genuine skill behind the wheel (Eurogamer).

High-end cars come with their own complications. Steal a luxury vehicle and it will have an advanced GPS tracking system, meaning players need to drive fast enough to outrun both the police and the tracker. At three wanted stars — the series' escalating notoriety system — escaping by vehicle in the city is difficult unless the car is very fast or the player is on a sports bike. Often, Nelson said, the smartest move is to ditch the car and flee on foot into the alleys (Eurogamer).

For fans, this signals a GTA where every car theft is a decision: which vehicle, how much heat it brings, and whether you can handle the chase that follows.

Players will get a longer look at the game very soon. Rockstar announced "Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look," a preview programme premiering on Netflix on 27 August 2026 at 3 p.m. ET (Rockstar Newswire).

GTA 6 is set for release on 19 November 2026 (GamesRadar).