Edge says GTA 6's map opens early. Bama's story-or-explore plan, updated

Same rule as always. If Rockstar showed it, I say so. If it's me guessin', I say that too.

Yesterday I wrote a whole piece on whether to play the story or explore first, and the honest answer was that it hung on one thing Rockstar had not told us: how much of Leonida is open on day one. Twenty-four hours later, Edge has the answer, or most of it. So here is the update, as promised.

What changed today

Edge reports: the map opens up relatively early. Edge watched Rob Nelson play for about an hour and a half and reports that you can head north and explore without having to follow the story. That puts GTA 6 closer to GTA V than to Vice City or San Andreas, where bridges and borders kept you in your lane for hours.

Not confirmed: exactly how early. "Relatively early" is not a mission number. Expect some opening story before the gates swing open. I would not bet on driving to the far north in your first ten minutes.

Confirmed (Rockstar, to Edge): it is big. Leonida has nearly as much land as GTA IV, GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 put together. Edge calls it roughly twice the size of GTA V.

What else matters if you like the back country

Confirmed (Nelson): the days are longer. At GTA V's speed, Nelson said, everything felt too fast. Sunsets linger now, and nights last longer. For anyone who likes sitting on a dock at dusk, that is the best news in the whole feature.

Edge reports: the weather does real work. Wind is sheltered near islands and buildings, so a boat handles differently depending on where you are. Fly through a storm too long and the aircraft takes damage. People on foot go looking for cover. Airboats in the Grassrivers just got more interesting.

Edge reports: buses and trains run across Leonida, and you can ride them. Phil Hooker says he takes the bus to watch the world go by. I plan to do the same thing on the way north, at least once.

Seen in the demo: the animals have opinions. A dog walker's dog chased Jason down after he stared too long, then lost interest. And one of Edge's new screenshots shows a hammerhead shark. Add that to the 170-plus species Game Informer reported last month, from alligators to manatees, and our wildlife guide keeps getting longer.

What Red Dead taught us

Kotaku compared GTA 6's car delivery, the Scooter Bros app, to whistling for your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2. It is slower than GTA V's version and costs a little. I like that. Red Dead was at its best when getting somewhere took a bit of effort, because that is when you noticed where you were. Rolo explains the app properly in his piece today.

My plan, updated

My guess, clearly labelled. Yesterday's plan was story until a new area opens, explore it, move on. With the map opening early, I am changing it:

1. Play the story until the map opens up. Do not rush it; the opening teaches you the systems.
2. Take one long trip north the slow way, by road or by train, with no destination. One evening, start to finish.
3. Come back and play the story properly, exploring each region as the story brings you to it.
4. Save the far corners, the rare animals and the night fishing for after the credits.

Six has everything else in the Edge feature. See y'all up north.