GTA 6 vs GTA V: everything that has changed, system by system
Thirteen years separate GTA V and GTA 6. Two leads instead of three, a state instead of a city, police who need a witness, cars with fuel, a world that runs slower, and no online mode at launch. Every confirmed change in one place, with what stayed the same.
GTA V came out on September 17, 2013. GTA 6 arrives on November 19, 2026, thirteen years and two months later, and Rockstar has spent much of that time changing the rules GTA V ran on. This is the full list of what is different, each item marked confirmed or reported, with the things that stayed the same at the end. Our GTA V hub has the old game in full.
The leads
GTA V: three protagonists, Michael, Franklin and Trevor, switched from a wheel with a camera pull-back to wherever they were.
GTA 6, confirmed: two, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. Switching is instant when they are together and takes a few seconds when apart. They are a couple, not a crew, and the romance is optional. Reported (Edge): their closeness sits on a four-point scale raised by time together. Eve has the detail.
The map
GTA V: Los Santos and Blaine County, one city and its countryside, almost all open from the start.
GTA 6, confirmed (Rockstar, to Edge): the state of Leonida, with nearly as much land as GTA IV, GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 combined, and an order of magnitude more interiors. Reported (Edge): about twice GTA V's size, and it opens up relatively early. Six regions are confirmed: Vice City, the Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and Mount Kalaga. Confirmed (Rob Nelson): Vice City's roads are narrower than Los Santos's, for a more believable size.
The police
GTA V: five stars, lit the instant a crime happened, cleared by hiding until the circle timed out.
GTA 6, confirmed: six stars, and someone has to witness the crime. Four leads sit beside the stars: vehicle, clothes, face and partner. Remove a lead and it goes dark. Reported (Edge): the description also covers weapons and security camera footage; K9 units and spike strips are in play. Our police guide walks through it.
Cars
GTA V: every car opened the moment you reached the door. No fuel.
GTA 6, confirmed: older cars open the old way; newer ones need a key cloner or tools that unlock with the story. Pulling a driver out is a struggle. Reported (Edge): every car has a fuel gauge and engine health, some carry police trackers, your weapons live in the boot, and your own car comes by the Scooter Bros app rather than instantly. Rolo has the getaway version.
Time
GTA V: a day in 48 minutes.
GTA 6, confirmed (Nelson): slower. At GTA V's timings "everything felt too fast," so the day and night cycle is longer, sunsets linger and nights last. Story pacing is slower too; you may need money before the next job.
Crime and conscience
GTA V: nothing remembered how you did a job.
GTA 6, confirmed: the Criminal Profile tracks the way you commit crimes and never resets. Reported (Edge): it runs from Professional to Irredeemable and shapes how the story unfolds. You cannot give up crime.
The world around you
GTA V: pedestrians reacted when you aimed at them.
GTA 6, confirmed (Nelson): that no longer works at this resolution, so people react to what you carry and what they saw. Reported (Edge): about 600,000 NPC animations; buses and trains you can ride; a smell system; weather that changes how boats and aircraft handle. Confirmed (Game Informer, September): more than 170 animal species, up from GTA V's modest list, with hurricanes in the weather.
Phone and social
GTA V: a phone for calls, texts and a browser, and Snapmatic.
GTA 6, confirmed: an in-game social feed where NPCs post and go viral; Snapmatic returns. Reported (Edge): named apps, WAINK for selling cars to fences and Scooter Bros for delivery, plus podcast-style programming.
Bodies
GTA V: fixed characters.
GTA 6, confirmed (Dazed interview, August): food, exercise and sleep change Jason and Lucia's bodies. Eve covered whether you have to eat.
Online
GTA V: GTA Online launched two weeks after the game, on October 1, 2013, and became the biggest thing Rockstar has ever made.
GTA 6, confirmed: no online mode at launch. Take-Two calls it a single-player experience, and the ESRB listing carries no Users Interact label. Every statement is on one page.
Price, size and platforms
GTA V: $59.99, about 65 GB on PS4, on PS3 and Xbox 360 first, then everything.
GTA 6, confirmed: $79.99 Standard and $99.99 Ultimate, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only, no PC announced, physical copies as a code in a box. Reported: about 210 GB on PS5.
Length
GTA V: about 30 hours of story.
GTA 6, reported (The New York Times): about 80 hours for Rob Nelson's playthrough, story plus optional goals. See how long is GTA 6.
What stayed the same
Rockstar's rules for its own games have not moved: a licensed radio dial with original stations, a satire of the real place it is based on, a story about people who cannot get out, a map you can drive end to end, and a launch window in the autumn. Flash FM is even back from the 1986 Vice City. The jump is in how much the world notices you, and how long it remembers.
What we will add
Anything Rockstar confirms between now and launch goes into this page with its date. After November 19, the hands-on comparison.
Quick answers
What is different in GTA 6 compared to GTA V?
Two playable leads who switch at any time, a whole state rather than one city, six wanted stars that need a witness, police who work from a description, cars with fuel and engine health, a slower day and night cycle, a Criminal Profile that never resets, and no online mode at launch.
Is the GTA 6 map bigger than GTA V's?
Yes. Rockstar told Edge that Leonida has nearly as much land as GTA IV, GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 combined. Edge describes it as roughly twice the size of GTA V.
How many wanted stars does GTA 6 have compared to GTA V?
Six, up from GTA V's five. Stars only light when someone witnesses the crime.
Does GTA 6 have three protagonists like GTA V?
No. It has two, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, and you switch between them instantly when together or after a few seconds apart.
Does GTA 6 have GTA Online at launch?
No. Take-Two describes GTA 6 as a single-player experience and Rockstar has announced no online mode. GTA Online followed GTA V by two weeks in 2013.
Sources: Rockstar Games: Grand Theft Auto VI · GamesRadar+: Edge 430 interview with Rob Nelson (October 29, 2026) · VGTimes: key details from Edge's preview · SixStarsWanted: GTA V hub · SixStarsWanted: GTA 6 Wiki
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