Why GTA 6’s Gunplay and Combat Might Be its Biggest Question Mark

As far as crime-focused games go, few are more influential or visible than Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto franchise. The series has had the category in a chokehold since its first release in the late 90s, and its status as the top dog in the industry is set to receive another boost with the highly anticipated GTA 6 scheduled for arrival late next year. Along its path to becoming a household name in gaming, many components have become synonymous with the franchise. From the story of the purple-coded Ballas gang to the vast offering of vehicles on land, sea, or air, the focus in GTA games has long rested in the power of its narrative and vehicles. However, with the wait for GTA 6 marking the longest stretch without a new title, other mechanics like combat might be under scrutiny.

As the GTA 6 reveal trailer underscored, GTA is mired in crime, a lens that shines through in its historical missions in Vice City and San Andreas, sending players to rob influential characters and even invade heavily guarded military installments. These feats are achieved with the help of an assortment of weaponry ranging from RPGs and bazookas to more traditional tools. Where some franchises tend to err on the side of realism, Rockstar doesn’t emphasize this in GTA, as can be evidenced in the many epic shootouts where the protagonist survives the assault of an entire police department. With GTA 6‘s Bonnie and Clyde-esque narrative coming into play, the developer faces the question of rocking the apple cart of combat.

GTA 6 Could Be Under More Pressure to Be Realistic

It’s been 11 years since GTA 5 made its earth-shattering debut, and in that long stretch, the status quo for shooters has gone through many changes. While Grand Theft Auto isn’t primarily described as a shooter franchise, guns go hand in hand with virtually every mission, so it stands to reason that GTA 6 should be subject to the same rules as the likes of Helldivers 2 and Cyberpunk 2077. With that in mind, logically, GTA 6‘s first order of business should be to shore up its combat options.

However, that contrasts with the Grand Theft Auto fans have gotten used to over the years. Hand-to-hand combat, for instance, hasn’t posed much of a challenge to any of the franchise’s protagonists. Few — if any — NPCs are capable of resisting and returning the player character’s blows with equal capacity, making for brutal and largely uninteresting beatdowns. From the example of heavily guarded military bases, it’s unclear whether GTA 6 would feature a similar location, but it makes sense for trained troops like police or soldiers to pose more of a challenge combat-wise.

A Revamped Combat System Could Be All GTA 6 Needs to Thrive

Likewise, gunfire might need some sprucing up in the face of higher-quality competition from shooters. Destiny 2 and Helldivers 2 have dominated the space so far this year, and their shooting mechanics (especially that of Helldivers 2) are a blueprint for newer games to follow because of the realistic aim focus. By contrast, the most memorable Grand Theft Auto games don’t require much thought or deliberate action in aiming. That stance has served the franchise well in the past, since many other fun components make up for the lack of realism.

The question Rockstar has to answer in GTA 6 is whether it places its stock in the “fun” unrealistic status quo and goes harder into its vehicular offerings, akin to GTA 5 Online, or takes the route of modern games and updates its gun and combat physics. Given GTA 6‘s rumored Bonnie and Clyde premise, who, according to legend, were quite adept at handling guns, adopting more realism in its shooting mechanics wouldn’t be out of place. Going down this new route would help provide a measurable amount of shock factor that GTA 6 needs to stick its landing, so it might be worth Rockstar heavily investing in this component to bring it up to speed.