New GTA 6 Gameplay Details by TroisCouleurs: Map Size, Interiors, Police & More

French publication TroisCouleurs visited Rockstar North and learned new details about the size of Vice City and Leonida, enterable interiors, changing traffic conditions, emergent events, the police system and several smaller gameplay features.

During the preview, Head of Development Rob Nelson presented around 30 minutes of GTA 6 footage before spending almost an hour exploring the game live with the journalist, Etienne Rouillon, able to request where to go and what to do.

Vice City Is Twice the Size of Los Santos

Perhaps the biggest new revelation concerns the sheer scale of GTA 6's map.

While showing TroisCouleurs the world map, Nelson reportedly confirmed that Vice City itself is around twice the size of Los Santos from GTA V.

However, Vice City represents only part of the overall map.

According to Nelson, when the smaller towns and other urbanised areas surrounding Vice City are combined, GTA 6 contains the equivalent of roughly 11 times the amount of urbanised areas found in GTA V.

This doesn't necessarily mean GTA 6's entire map is eleven times larger than GTA V. Instead, the comparison specifically relates to the combined towns, cities and other developed areas players can discover throughout Leonida.

GTA 6 Begins in the Leonida Keys

Nelson also provided additional clarification on how GTA 6's world initially opens up to the player.

The first part of the game takes place towards the southern end of the map in the Leonida Keys, where Jason's small house from GTA 6 Trailer 2 is located.

Following this opening section, the world opens up completely and players are able to travel wherever they want.

GTA 6 Is Set in the Present Day

Rockstar also explicitly confirmed to TroisCouleurs that GTA 6 takes place in the present day.

This is reflected throughout the game's use of smartphones, social media, livestreaming and other contemporary technology, although Rockstar has previously explained that it is attempting to avoid relying too heavily on short-lived trends that could quickly date the game.

A Huge Number of Buildings Can Be Entered

Asked directly about GTA 6's interiors, Nelson said that players will be able to enter a very large number of buildings throughout the world.

He stopped short of providing an exact number, but described the quantity as "enormous".

This further suggests that GTA 6's increased world density isn't simply about creating a larger map, with Rockstar putting significant emphasis on allowing players to interact with and explore the environments around them.

Traffic Changes Depending on the Time of Day

Traffic density dynamically changes throughout the day.

During the live demonstration, TroisCouleurs travelled down a street that had been visited earlier and noticed considerably heavier traffic.

Nelson explained that the increase was because it was now "rush hour".

This suggests GTA 6's traffic simulation takes the time of day into account rather than simply maintaining similar vehicle density throughout the world at all times.

Emergent Events Can Completely Disrupt Your Plans

The live demonstration also provided an interesting example of GTA 6's more unpredictable open world.

While driving into the countryside, Jason and Lucia encountered a group of people jumping from a bridge.

The strangers challenged the protagonists to join them, prompting Jason and Lucia to jump from the bridge together while holding hands.

However, the seemingly harmless activity turned out to be a trap: while Jason and Lucia were in the water, somebody stole their vehicle.

Nelson explained that GTA 6 contains numerous emergent events capable of unexpectedly changing what the player is doing.

Two Store Robberies Can Play Out Completely Differently

TroisCouleurs carried out two separate store robberies during its time watching GTA 6, with neither encounter unfolding in the same way.

Differences included:

• How the shopkeepers reacted
• Whether customers became involved
• How quickly police responded
• How the overall situation escalated

Nelson explained that the open nature of these systems means even Rockstar doesn't necessarily know exactly what will happen when a robbery begins.

NPCs Aren't Helpless

Rockstar reiterated that Jason and Lucia aren't the only dangerous people occupying Leonida.

Citizens can be armed and capable of violence themselves, meaning threatening or attacking someone can produce considerably less predictable results than in previous GTA games.

Combined with reactive shopkeepers, customers and police, this should make even relatively simple crimes capable of developing into unexpected situations.

Police Can Lose You Even When They Know What You're Wearing

GTA 6's new police system was demonstrated during an encounter at a luxury property.

After the occupants became hostile and police were called, Nelson explained that officers knew what the protagonist was wearing but didn't necessarily know their exact location.

If the player entered a vehicle without police seeing them get inside, it could potentially be driven through a police roadblock without officers recognising that the suspect was inside.

Rockstar Says GTA 6's Police Are Much Smarter Than GTA V

Nelson described GTA 6's police mechanics as substantially more sophisticated than those seen in GTA V.

Rather than police automatically tracking the player, escaping can involve understanding exactly what information officers currently have and avoiding giving them additional clues.

Players who remain careful and keep moving can successfully evade searches without necessarily triggering a traditional high-speed pursuit.

Your Playstyle Determines What Kind of Criminal You Become

The police system ties directly into GTA 6's wider Criminal Profile mechanics.

Rockstar wants players to decide whether Jason and Lucia behave like careful professional criminals or unpredictable agents of chaos.

The world can react differently depending on those behavioural patterns, although GTA 6 doesn't attempt to dictate one "correct" way of playing.

Jason and Lucia's Behaviour Towards Each Other Matters

The relationship between Jason and Lucia is similarly influenced by player behaviour.

Rockstar tracks whether the protagonists spend time together and whether they look after one another.

That relationship can then affect how the two characters interact.

TroisCouleurs specifically mentions seeing Jason and Lucia spend time walking around the world holding hands, something the publication said made subsequent dangerous situations feel noticeably different because of the emotional connection established between the characters.

Jason and Lucia Can Jump From a Bridge Holding Hands

The bridge encounter provided another example of how relationship animations carry across different activities.

Jason and Lucia didn't simply jump into the water separately — they were able to leap from the bridge together while holding hands.

You Can Manually Put on a Motorcycle Helmet

Another surprisingly small interaction appeared during the live demonstration.

After Jason climbed onto a scooter, the journalist jokingly suggested he should put on a helmet.

Nelson responded by simply pressing a button and having Jason equip one.

You Can Deposit Cash at ATMs

The previously revealed division between cash and banked money was also demonstrated directly.

After robbing a petrol station, Nelson explained that physical cash carried by the protagonist can be lost if the character is killed before depositing it.

He then went looking for an ATM to deposit the stolen money.

This confirms that ATMs around the world can be used to move carried cash into the player's bank account.

Leonida Transitions Naturally Between City and Countryside

TroisCouleurs described travelling from central Vice City through suburban areas and into agricultural countryside without noticing an abrupt transition or spending an excessively long time driving.

Nelson explained that Rockstar doesn't attempt to reproduce real-world geography at a one-to-one scale.

Instead, the studio compresses locations and biomes while attempting to make the transitions between them feel natural.

Rockstar previously used similar techniques in Red Dead Redemption 2, where dramatically different environments were fitted into a comparatively compact map.

GTA 6 Features Detailed Environmental Effects

The preview highlighted several smaller visual details visible during normal gameplay.

• Sand sticks to characters' shoes while walking along the beach.
• Sweat becomes visible on their skin after sprinting.
• Aquatic plants realistically float and react in the water.
• Mirrors and shop windows produce reflections.
• Puddles reflect their surroundings.
• Vegetation uses sophisticated depth-of-field effects as players move through the environment.

You Can Swim to Properties From the Beach

During the live gameplay demonstration, the player spoke to NPCs along the beach before swimming out towards a luxury villa where a group described by the publication as "Bitcoin bros" were holding a barbecue.

Gameplay and Cutscenes Blend Together

Rockstar has also continued its efforts to reduce the visible distinction between gameplay and cinematic sequences.

Nelson explained that a previously shown sequence involving Jason and Lucia entering an elevator is actually gameplay rather than a pre-rendered cinematic.

The sequence transitions from player-controlled movement into partial control, back into gameplay as the protagonists move through a corridor and pet a dog, then into a full cutscene before eventually transitioning into a playable gunfight.

Rockstar says it continuously works to make these transitions feel natural.

The Game Was Still Being Fine-Tuned During the Preview

TroisCouleurs wasn't simply shown a pre-recorded demonstration.

During almost an hour of live gameplay, Nelson reportedly invited the journalist to suggest where to go and what to inspect.

Rockstar developers observing the session continued noting details that needed adjustment, including an affectionate interaction between Jason and Lucia that appeared slightly too slow and a traffic cone that reacted too heavily when struck by a vehicle.

The publication described the experience as effectively watching Rockstar continue testing and polishing the game in real time.

You can read the full article at TroisCouleurs and there's a version in English here.