GTA 6 Details Revealed by EL PAÍS: Hidden UI, NPC Encounters, Vehicle Hacking & More

Spanish publication EL PAÍS visited Rockstar North and learned more GTA 6 details covering its highly interactive world, NPC encounters, combat, vehicle theft, robberies, police system and Rockstar's influences for Jason and Lucia's story.

Journalist Jorge Morla visited Rockstar North in Edinburgh, with EL PAÍS describing itself as the only Spanish-language publication invited to preview GTA 6.

The approximately two-hour visit included Rockstar's Extended Look presentation, an interview with Head of Development Rob Nelson and more than an hour watching GTA 6 being played live on PlayStation 5.

GTA 6 Is More Interactive Than Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar has repeatedly described GTA 6 as its most ambitious and detailed open world yet, but Nelson provided EL PAÍS with a direct comparison to Red Dead Redemption 2.

According to Nelson, GTA 6's world is considerably more interactive than Red Dead Redemption 2, with many more objects that players can pick up and interact with.

Nelson said the depth of the experience is one of the elements he is most proud of, particularly how easily players can become immersed and lose themselves in the world.

You Can Play With Empty Drinks Cans

EL PAÍS witnessed some particularly small examples of GTA 6's increased interactivity.

After drinking from cans, players can continue playing around with the empty containers rather than them simply disappearing.

Players can also read individual magazines found inside supermarkets, while doors, vehicles, bins and numerous other environmental objects can be interacted with rather than existing purely as scenery.

Damage and Injuries Remain Visible

The preview highlights GTA 6's detailed environmental damage system, with bullet impacts remaining visible on walls and scratches appearing on vehicles.

Jason and Lucia can also visibly show wounds and scratches after being injured.

EL PAÍS described the physics and environmental degradation demonstrated during the session as particularly impressive.

Focus Can Slow Down the World During Combat

The preview provides some additional information about GTA 6's previously revealed Focus ability.

EL PAÍS describes Focus as a special ability comparable to Dead Eye in Red Dead Redemption, allowing the player to slow down their surroundings to assist with aiming and combat.

Melee Combat Makes Use of the Environment

Several fights with pedestrians occurred during the demonstration, with EL PAÍS describing the expanded melee combat as resembling a dedicated fighting game.

Importantly, the environment itself can become part of a fight.

The preview specifically mentions being able to use interactive objects such as car doors to hit people, suggesting GTA 6's expanded environmental interaction extends directly into combat.

Random NPC Encounters Can Become Their Own Stories

Rockstar's goal is for GTA 6's underlying systems to generate situations that feel almost like individually scripted missions.

During one particularly chaotic encounter witnessed by EL PAÍS, Jason approached two police officers standing beside their vehicle.

A handcuffed woman inside the police car suddenly smashed the window with her head and began climbing out. One officer attempted to use a taser against her but accidentally hit his partner instead, allowing the woman to escape into the crowd.

The entire sequence emerged naturally within the world rather than being presented as a conventional mission.

NPCs Can Flirt With You, Rob You or Reveal Hidden Locations

Pedestrians throughout Leonida can approach Jason and Lucia for numerous reasons.

According to the preview, NPCs may start conversations, attempt to flirt with the player, try to rob them or provide information about locations such as hidden stashes and gang hideouts.

Their reactions also vary depending on circumstances, with characters capable of behaving in friendly, aggressive or suspicious ways.

Combined with individual routines and relationships, Rockstar wants these systems to continually create unexpected stories while players explore Leonida.

You Can Hide the Interface Completely

Rockstar wants players to pay greater attention to Leonida itself rather than constantly looking at icons and information on the screen.

EL PAÍS reports that the user interface can be adjusted to the point that it can be completely hidden.

The wider objective is for information to be communicated naturally through the world and its inhabitants wherever possible.

GTA 6 Features Scuba Diving, Paragliding and Huge Off-Road Vehicles

EL PAÍS also highlights the enormous variety of activities available away from Vice City's streets.

Players can scuba dive among coral, interact with wildlife, drive enormous vehicles through the countryside and paraglide between skyscrapers.

These activities exist alongside the numerous sports, businesses, robberies and other activities previously revealed throughout Leonida.

Cars Can Have Different Security Systems

Stealing vehicles is significantly more involved than simply smashing a window and driving away.

Individual vehicles can feature alarms, tracking devices and different security systems that need to be overcome.

Players have access to specialised tools including lockpicks, while EL PAÍS also mentions using a mobile phone to hack vehicle security.

This means the method required to steal one vehicle may differ from another depending on its technology and security.

Robberies Allow Different Entry Points and Methods

Rockstar demonstrated the flexibility of GTA 6's robbery system during the preview.

Players can enter robbery locations through different routes, use specialised tools to avoid triggering alarms, destroy security camera recordings and open safes in different ways.

Jason and Lucia can also divide responsibilities during robberies. The character not directly controlled by the player can, for example, watch over hostages while their partner handles another part of the robbery.

Police Respond to How Violent Your Crime Was

GTA 6 restores a maximum six-star wanted level, but EL PAÍS stresses that police responses are considerably more sophisticated than simply accumulating stars.

Law enforcement takes into account what actually happened during the crime, including the amount of violence used and the level of disruption caused.

This connects with GTA 6's wider Criminal Profile system, which records the player's behaviour and allows less aggressive criminals to develop a different reputation and approach.

GTA 6's Story Takes Inspiration From Bonnie and Clyde, Michael Mann and Classic Crime Fiction

Nelson also discussed some of the influences behind Jason and Lucia's story.

Among those mentioned were Bonnie and Clyde, The Getaway, Miami crime stories and the work of crime writers including Elmore Leonard, Charles Willeford and Edward Bunker.

Rockstar also drew inspiration from filmmaker Michael Mann and high-energy action movies from the 1980s and 1990s when creating some of GTA 6's more action-heavy missions.

Jason and Lucia's Relationship Is Something Rockstar Has Never Done Before

Nelson described Jason and Lucia's relationship as one of the elements Rockstar is particularly proud of.

Rather than simply having two protagonists who happen to work together, GTA 6 explores what it actually feels like to be in a relationship, with their romance forming the emotional centre of the story.

Rockstar has previously revealed that the relationship can change dynamically according to how the player behaves, affecting the way Jason and Lucia interact with each other.

Rockstar's Main Goal Isn't to Make a Political Statement

Asked whether Lucia's background and the game's depiction of modern America meant GTA 6 would be more political than previous games, Nelson said Rockstar's primary goal is to entertain rather than make a specific political statement.

One challenge is GTA 6's exceptionally long development cycle. Nelson pointed out that the game has been in development across three US presidential administrations, while news and political events can become irrelevant extremely quickly.

Rather than chasing individual contemporary stories, Rockstar wants GTA 6 to capture the strange and humorous aspects of society that remain recognisable over time.

Rockstar Is Still Fixing Tiny Details

As seen during some of the other media previews, Nelson continued identifying tiny details he wanted adjusted while demonstrating GTA 6.

EL PAÍS witnessed him flagging issues including an NPC raising their head slightly too much while speaking, a texture reflecting too much light and a car door opening when it shouldn't.

The publication says it did not witness any significant bugs during the demonstration, with the corrections instead illustrating the extremely small details Rockstar continues to polish ahead of release.

Rockstar Says Trying to Please Everyone Would Make GTA 6 Worse

Nelson also addressed the enormous expectations surrounding GTA 6 and the challenge of following several games that players appreciate for very different reasons.

Some players prefer GTA IV to GTA V, while even Red Dead Redemption 2 divided opinion over its deliberately slower pace and enormous length.

Rockstar's approach therefore isn't to respond to every criticism or attempt to incorporate everything fans ask for. Nelson explained that doing so risks producing something without a clear purpose and diluting what GTA 6 itself needs to be.

Instead, the development team is concentrating on the experience it wants GTA 6 to deliver while hoping the finished game can meet the extraordinary expectations surrounding it.

View the full article (in Spanish) here.