Grand Theft Auto 6 is following a tradition that Rockstar previously leaned into with Red Dead Redemption 2: a focus on realism. In the case of GTA 6, that means things like filling your car with gas, working out to get (or stay) fit, and eating to stay energized. Now we know another element of this hyper-focus: various methods for stealing cars.
Whereas in past games, you could just smash the window of any car to get inside and drive off with it, in GTA 6, how you commandeer a vehicle that doesn’t belong to you will be based on what kind of car it is.
For older cars, you can smash the window just as you always have, but for a quieter approach, you can instead use a slim jim, a device you’ve maybe seen roadside assistance services use if you’ve ever locked yourself out of your own car. Doing it this way requires a short minigame using the control stick on your PlayStation 5 or Xbox controller. Once you get into such cars, you can hotwire them and drive off.
But that’s just for older cars. For newer vehicles, including whatever GTA 6’s inevitable parody Tesla analog will be, you’ll not be able to use these methods. Instead, you’ll need a key cloner, allowing you to perform something known as a “relay attack.”
These devices mimic the electronic signal that newer cars’ key fobs utilize, and in both the real world and in Rockstar’s satirical funhouse mirror of Florida, they allow criminals to remotely break into your car without even setting off the alarm.
Presumably, this will be an item Jason and/or Lucia can keep on them as they explore Vice City, seeking all the ways to make money in GTA 6. As we learn more about this and everything else there is to know about GTA 6, you can be sure we’ll bring it to you.