- The GTA series always follows a very tried-and-true formula, but GTA 6 needs to fundamentally change many of Rockstar’s existing tropes.
- Elements like excessive driving, linear gameplay, and more hold the series back from reaching its true potential.
- GTA 6 should either eliminate these elements or modify them to improve the experience.
No franchise is as big as Grand Theft Auto today. Just consider the fact that practically everyone, whether they are fond of games or not, is aware of the IP, and you’ll know how big Rockstar’s magnum opus is. Even for me, GTA Vice City played an important role in my gaming journey.
I adore most of the entries in the series, but they are far from perfect. GTA 6 is coming next year, and in my opinion, this title needs to be the one to address this IP’s biggest drawbacks once and for all.
With Take-Two making bold claims about GTA 6, the game cannot afford to repeat past mistakes.
Why it matters: The series has relied on an established template that has rarely changed over the years. These mechanics often come across as redundant and outdated.
Excessive Linearity
Every GTA game I have ever played is linear. There is no freedom in the franchise whatsoever.
Most Rockstar games are open-world, but surprisingly, they offer little to no non-linearity, which is my main concern. During the mission, if you deviate from the precise set of instructions even a little, you will see the famous “Mission Failed” text pop up.
This is far from ideal and quickly becomes annoying. I hope to see GTA 6 making full use of its open-world and breaking away from this trend next year. Even Red Dead Redemption 2 suffers from a similar problem since Rockstar has become too comfortable with this mission structure.
However, Red Dead Revolver didn’t have a similar problem. I wouldn’t mind seeing similar levels of freedom in Grand Theft Auto since GTA 6 is supposed to be a once-in-a-generation game.
I doubt Rockstar will release another entry in the series anytime soon, so non-linearity is practically necessary to innovate the open-world genre.
The Police System Needs To Change
Which of the Rockstar games do you think has the worst police system ?
by inGTA
Grand Theft Auto wouldn’t be itself without the police. The cat-and-mouse chases between players and cops are fundamental to the GTA experience, but I found GTA 5’s police system to be a remnant of a very old era.
For starters, whenever you commit a crime, and nobody sees you, how do the police automatically learn about the crime? I know that if someone sees you commit a crime, they can report it to the police.
However, once a crime is reported, how do the police identify you so quickly? Even if you change cars, the police can identify you almost instantly. I found Red Dead Redemption 2’s Wanted system better in this regard, but GTA 6 needs to push the envelope further.
No Checkpoints
There are many instances in the series where players are given no checkpoints. Every open-world should have checkpoints during main missions since the lack of checkpoints can quickly become an annoyance in these settings.
I clearly remember going through difficult missions in GTA San Andreas and GTA 4; repeating those missions was a drag. Checkpoints would have made the experience much better, so I hope to see Rockstar making major strides in this regard.
For instance, in Cyberpunk 2077, you get a lot of checkpoints while doing a mission, not to mention you can also quickly save the game. If Rockstar can’t do something similar, then short missions with better gameplay mechanics would be the way to go.
A Lot of Driving
I don’t mind driving in massive open worlds, but this shouldn’t be necessary during main missions.
I know driving is a fundamental part of the experience, but I have always been unhappy with the core loop of driving to a location to initiate a mission and then driving to another location for the actual mission.
These sections often help provide exposition and context before the missions get going, but there has to be a better way to do things. Even in Red Dead Redemption 2, half of the mandatory horse rides exist for the sake of exposition.
Anyhow, these are just a few things I hope to see gone or fundamentally changed in GTA 6. Not much is known about the game for now, but another trailer is expected soon. Take-Two has also emphasized Rockstar’s ambitions multiple times, so I hope to see the studio living up to these claims.
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[News Editor]
Obaid is pursuing a Law degree while working as a content writer. He has worked as a gaming writer for over three years because of his passion for the medium and reporting the latest updates in the industry. Having played hundreds of games, Obaid finds himself coming back to Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with these games being among his favorites. He has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as Wccftech, Metro UK, PS Lifestyle, GamePressure, VGC, and Gamespot.