Comparison5 min read
GTA VI and GTA V: what really changes
Thirteen years separate the two games. Between the two, Rockstar changed the number of heroes, the relationship with the police, the way you steal a car and the place of everyday life. Here is what really changes, separating what Rockstar has confirmed, what a media outlet has reported, and what is only a GTA V benchmark.
Head to head
GTA VI and GTA V in one table
Each line: what is confirmed for GTA VI, the GTA V benchmark, and the status of the information.
| Point | GTA VI | GTA V, series benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| The setting | The state of Leonida: six regions, from Vice City to Mount Kalaga National Park (official) | The state of San Andreas: Los Santos and Blaine County |
| The heroes | Two: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos (official) | Three: Michael, Franklin and Trevor, switchable at any time |
| The map | No numbered area; twice GTA V’s according to Rob Nelson’s figures reported on August 27, 2026 (seen in media) | No official area either |
| The platforms | PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, no PC version announced (official) | PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, PS4 and Xbox One in 2014, PC in 2015, PS5 and Xbox Series in 2022 |
| The price | €79.99 for the Standard Edition, €99.99 for the Ultimate Edition (official) | $59.99 for the standard edition in the United States in 2013 |
| The online game | Nothing announced: a single-player experience (to be confirmed) | GTA Online, launched two weeks after the game |
| The music | Six stations presented on October 8, 2026 and a 34-track album (official) | Seventeen stations and 240 licensed tracks at launch |
The site’s GTA VI and GTA V page keeps this table up to date, with the source of each line and an overlay of the two maps according to the reported figures. The area figures were never published by Rockstar itself: they come from a creator hosted at the studio, who quotes Rob Nelson, and The New York Times confirmed the comparison with Red Dead Redemption 2 with the studio.
What changes the most
The police, the witnesses and the “Busted” screen
According to the Extended Look and the Rockstar North interviews, Leonida’s police works differently from Los Santos’s.
- Clues, not just stars. According to the Extended Look, the police identifies the suspect with more clues than before: the vehicle, the clothes and the appearance.
- Witnesses and alarms. Talking to Famitsu, Rob Nelson explains that destroying the security cameras lets you leave unseen, and that jewelry stores and small banks are better guarded than shops.
- A “Focus” mode and a “Busted” screen. Talking to IGN, he describes a mode that flags nearby officers, and an arrest screen every time you get caught.
- Varied forces. Vice City police, county sheriffs, marine police and coast guard appear in the videos and screenshots: the Law enforcement page lists them.
What isn’t published: what an arrest costs; the calculator waits for the rule and asks for your assumption. As for death, Rob Nelson told Trois Couleurs and Famitsu: the cash you carry is lost, the money in the bank is not.
Between two missions
Everyday life: eating, working out, getting around
In GTA V, life between two missions came down to a few activities. In GTA VI, Rockstar makes it a system.
The body
Weight and muscles
What Jason and Lucia eat affects their weight, and working out builds visible muscle, according to Rob Nelson quoted by VGC.
The page
Wildlife
More than 170 species
Game Informer announces more than 170 animal species, including rare or legendary animals to track.
The animals
The weather
Storms and hurricanes
Weather that changes from one place to another, tropical storms and hurricanes, and a ride-hailing app, Ryde Me, according to Game Informer.
The regions
The videos also show Jason playing pool, fishing or at a bar counter, and Lucia at the tattoo artist’s or by a pool. The businesses have their pages on Businesses, and what you eat, buy or wear is listed on Consumables and Clothing and style, with prices to come.
The constants
What doesn’t change, and what we don’t know
The series’ constants are there: radio stations with hosts, weapons and vehicles to collect, businesses, heists. The site always presents what comes from GTA V as a “series benchmark”, never as a GTA VI rule: that’s the meaning of the teal badge on the pages, explained in the Tutorial.
- Online play. Rockstar, PlayStation and Xbox present GTA VI as a single-player experience. A multiplayer in 2027 was mentioned by Twitch’s boss; Rockstar and Take-Two have confirmed nothing. The site’s GTA Online section stays separate.
- The PC version. None is announced. GTA V took a year and a half to reach PC; that’s a benchmark, not a prediction. See GTA VI on PC.
- The game’s numbers. Prices, earnings, income: nothing is published. The site will show them with their source and their date.
Official YouTube (Google) player, loaded only after your click: YouTube may then set its own cookies. Legal and privacy
Questions
Questions people ask about GTA VI and GTA V
Is the GTA VI map bigger than GTA V’s?
How many playable characters in GTA VI, versus three in GTA V?
Will GTA VI have a GTA Online?
Is the police tougher in GTA VI?
The blog
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Music
GTA VI radio and music: six stations, a 34-track album
The music of GTA 6: the six radio stations presented by Rockstar, their hosts, the 34-track album and the songs of the official videos.
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Verify
The sources of this article
Every fact in the article points to a page you can open. The status says where the information comes from: Rockstar, a media outlet, or an identification by players.
- OfficialOfficial Grand Theft Auto VI site (“Only in Leonida” pages, editions, pre-orders)
Six regions and eight characters presented on May 6, 2025; edition texts from June 24, 2026. Reread on 09/27/2026 in the pages that quote it (rockstargames.com couldn’t be reached from our workspace that day).
- OfficialRockstar Support: Grand Theft Auto VI, platforms, editions and versions
The two editions, the sixteen Ultimate Edition items, the upgrade, the disc-free box, preloading at midnight on November 12, the bonuses before November 20 and the region rules.
- OfficialTake-Two Interactive: Rockstar Games announces Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders (edition prices)
Standard Edition at $79.99 and Ultimate Edition at $99.99 in the United States; preloading from November 12, 2026 for digital pre-orders.
- OfficialPlayStation France: Grand Theft Auto VI
Standard Edition €79.99 and Ultimate Edition €99.99; a month of GTA+ with a pre-order, before November 20, 2026.
- Seen in mediaTGG (YouTube): “I Saw 3 Hours of GTA 6 at Rockstar North”, August 27, 2026
The creator reports the figures given by Rob Nelson: twice the GTA V map, three times Red Dead Redemption 2’s, Vice City twice Los Santos.
- Seen in mediaKotaku: the GTA 6 map, three times larger than Red Dead Redemption 2
Transcript of TGG’s comments, with Rob Nelson’s name added by the editors.
- Seen in mediaThe New York Times: “Grand Theft Auto VI Has a New Trailer and Grand Ambitions”
According to the studio, the whole map is three times the playable area of Red Dead Redemption 2 (paywalled article, read through its republication by The Nightly).
- Series benchmarkRockstar Newswire: GTAV and GTA Online coming March 15 to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series
GTA V and GTA Online on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on March 15, 2022; Franklin, Michael and Trevor, Los Santos and Blaine County.
- Series benchmarkRockstar Newswire: the GTAV soundtrack, interviews and details (August 30, 2013)
Fifteen music stations, two talk stations and 240 licensed songs at GTA V’s launch.
- Series benchmarkRockstar Newswire: GTAV on PC on April 14, 2015
GTA V: released September 17, 2013 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, announced for PC on April 14, 2015 after two delays (January 27, then March 24).
- OfficialRockstar Newswire: Grand Theft Auto VI, An Extended Look
A presentation captured in-game on PlayStation 5, first on Netflix and then on YouTube.
- Seen in mediaTechRadar: 16 details learned from the Extended Look
- Seen in mediaFamitsu: interview with Rob Nelson (Rockstar North) after the demo
Safehouses that change with the chapters, three vehicle slots at the start, garages to buy, Ammu-Nation locker, Pay ’n’ Spray and fences, heists, salons and stores, haircuts at home.
- Seen in mediaIGN: GTA 6, The Big Interview (full interview with Rob Nelson, Rockstar North, during a 30-minute demo)
Rob Nelson details the money that drives the story, the car scanner (value at the Pay ’n’ Spray or from a fence, registration cost), robbery targets, the personal vehicle and two missions from the Extended Look.
- Seen in mediaVGC: Rockstar reveals a host of details ahead of the Extended Look
Rob Nelson: food affects Jason and Lucia’s weight, and exercise visibly builds their muscles.
- Seen in mediaGame Informer: over 170 animal species in GTA VI
Over 170 species; some rare, discoverable or legendary ones can be tracked.
- Seen in mediaGame Informer: tropical storms and hurricanes in GTA VI
Redesigned weather: localized rain, thunderstorms, tropical storms and hurricanes, simulated wind.
- Seen in mediaGTA 6 Online might not be coming anytime soon, as Take-Two confirms GTA Online support will 'continue' after GTA 6 launches 'and beyond'
September 17, 2026, Take-Two shareholder meeting: GTA VI is a single-player game, and GTA Online will be supported “after GTA 6’s release and beyond”.
- Seen in mediaTwitch CEO says GTA 6 multiplayer will launch in 2027
The comments from Twitch’s boss, picked up by PC Gamer; no confirmation from Rockstar or Take-Two.
- OfficialRockstar Newswire: The Music of Grand Theft Auto VI: In-Game Radio Stations
Six stations presented with their hosts, on-demand podcasts, and a radio you can listen to in a car or on foot with Jason’s or Lucia’s phone and earbuds.
- OfficialRockstar Newswire: Announcing Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, Coming November 19
34 original tracks with Atlantic Records, out November 19, 2026, six tracks available; the game’s music, its dynamic score and “the next evolution of in-game radio” will be detailed later.
- Seen in mediaTrois Couleurs: the GTA VI demo presented by Rob Nelson
Text, illustrations and illustration clip: Leonidakit. Screenshots and artworks are official Rockstar Games images, credited on Media and credits.