We have some new information about Grand Theft Auto 6, and this time it’s not from a Cyberleek-posted clip. Instead, it comes from a new, lengthy interview with Rockstar Games about GTA 6. It turns out that the fan-favorite weight and muscle system from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is returning to the franchise.
On August 26, Dazed shared an exclusive new interview about the upcoming GTA 6 with multiple Rockstar devs. In the interview, we learned quite a bit about GTA 6, including how complex Jason and Lucia’s relationship is and how characters will react to the player if they whip out a gun and walk around. But perhaps the most exciting bit of news included in the interview is the confirmation that players will be able to hit the gym to bulk up or eat some fast food to put on some weight.
As explained in the new article, both Jason’s and Lucia’s bodies will react and change based on what the player does or eats. If either character eats too much, they’ll put on weight. Meanwhile, if they work out and exercise, they can shed some pounds and build some muscle tone. In the second official GTA 6 trailer, we can spot Jason working out, likely building up muscle mass in the process.
The interview also indicates that if players don’t sleep often or spend too much time running from the cops or go on “multi-day benders,” both Jason and Lucia’s faces and bodies will change accordingly. This all sounds like an expanded version of a similar system featured in Red Dead Redemption 2, where bruises would stick around and players could grow long beards if they didn’t shave frequently. Letting players change the body of their protagonist this drastically hasn’t been a feature in a GTA game since San Andreas in 2004.
“Between visual feedback mechanisms, deep relationship mechanics and the heightened realism of the world they inhabit, people might even think twice about going on the arcade-style rampages of GTA games gone by, once they land in Leonida,” suggested Dazed.
“We look back at our previous games with a critical eye,” said Rob Nelson, head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North. “And see where we want to evolve based on what we didn’t do as well as we would have liked to, either because we didn’t have the time, resources, or technological capabilities, or in some cases things we just didn’t do as well or consider as fully as we could have. A lot of what we do is very iterative – we adjust a lot of things by feel based on what is working and what isn’t.”
Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on November 19 on PS5 and Xbox. On August 27, Rockstar Games will debut the first official gameplay of GTA 6 on Netflix.