I just don’t get the hype personally for GTA VI. I played a couple of the games, skiped a couple, played another and it’s just more of the same thing every release. Got bored within a couple hours. Now another one is coming out which will also just be more of the same damn thing. To each their own I guess.
GTA is a large open world sandbox… Wanna crash cars? Play cards? Take on the army? Street race? Fly planes? See how many tow trucks a tow truck can tow? Short the stocks? Be a cabbie? [Insert online features here… Not my cup of tea]
Thanks to mods it can also be played similar to Garry’s Mod, Track Mania, Forza… Whatever…
It’s a sandbox…
And… I won’t be buying it until PC. Every other GTA has been day 1 for me… Not buying a PS5 for it.
I wish I knew an intelligent hardcore fan of the series so they could articulate what they see in it. I doubt Noah Gervais is going to cover it anytime soon.
Ok, I’ll bite. I’ve been a fan of the single player games since III.
As someone who learned programming and 3D graphics modding games, the series has always been special to me, and pretty directly lead to my career.
What makes these games special is that Rockstar develops their own in house game engine, and has the money and staff to take the time and do it right.
From what I’ve read and watched about this new engine, they are doing things so far beyond what any other company has invested in, that GTA VI is going to redefine what gaming can be.
While everyone else is on the Unity and Unreal band wagon, pumping out clones of systems everyone else is making, Rockstar is creating new low level technology to build a truly reactive, immersive environment.
Will they create a GTA Online that just milks money out of micro transactions? Sure, they will, be stupid not to.
But, I am honestly excited to see what kind of single player simulation of a living city they are able to produce with 13 years of development.
Did I buy the $100 premium version? No, I will never preorder a game again after Cyberpunk, but if the reviews are good I’ll drop $100 dollars on a game that I’ll easily play for 500 hours
Okay, that’s worth knowing. It sounds ambitious, but for me a large game-as-simulation usually makes me think of Bethesda’s house style. Which is to say, treating everything as a toy rather than writing you into a story, in a way.
It’ll be interesting to see how GTA VI avoids the (what I see as) pitfalls of Bethesda’s way of thinking. Can a sufficiently advanced simulation take the place of a writing staff? Caveat - I know GTA VI will have some amount of a script in place, I just tend to notice that simulation style game design seems to prefer to create gameplay experiences dynamically through the environment, rather than through pre written story supported by gameplay elements. Games like this want your experience to be defined by interactivity, which necessarily deemphasizes the scripted aspects of a game.
It’s equally interesting to hear that there’s still a value proposition in creating your own proprietary game engine, rather than modifying the existing offerings. I’m a little against it as I’d prefer see more work done on open source like Godot, but I won’t dig in my heels about it because I know not every project is suitable for that sort of thing. It would be great if they could license out their engine to other developers at some point.
I played every game since original top-down 2D, including GTA V, that last one for maybe 10 hours. I did 100% San Andreas and IV, but didn’t really get into DLCs.
I like it for absurdist writing that makes the world look like hyperrealistic USA. I like it for the tunes. The missions were fun when I was more ok with railroad experiences. Secrets, references, sometimes hilarious dialogue.
I didn’t like GTA V much though. Maybe it was just more of the same or maybe it got worse in some way I didn’t quite notice. Or maybe I just like other things in video games after 20 years.
I think V especially has a huge following thanks to multiplayer, including RP servers. I never really cared for either.
It does, I think! I’ve only played this series a little, and very distantly. Let me know if I’m close: So we’re talking about more than just satire but in a sense hyperbole, getting immersed in a setting with the vibes cranked up and slightly distorted. It’s a funhouse where all the mirrors are hilariously America-shaped, and the cartoon version of yourself it portrays becomes the satire.
Makes sense then that the more multiplayer experience of GTA V would have less time for the craft of that atmosphere, instead prioritising the delightfully crass verbs of GTA in the context of online gaming. Even a server dedicated to RP will tend to put a mirror up to the player, which probably detracts from the humour and vibe; self awareness takes you out of things, after all.
Yeah sounds pretty close, especially for Vice City, San Andreas and IV.
I think they also shared some cultural similiarities with Idiocracy and it’s vibes. No to the same extend, but in many ways pointing out casual things and saying “this is what it’s actually like, if you think about it”.
I think I don’t like V as much because it’s become too realistic and detached from the comic book slapstick I’ve known GTA for since 1998. And the themes lost the self-deprecating irony, becoming bland.
I guess they just optimized for the lowest denominator, always the way to grab the most of the market.
The themes are somewhat preserved in RDR2 (Didn’t play 1) - it’s very serious in general, but there’s this simmer of “ain’t this ridiculous” under the obvious drama. Worked for me much better than V ever did.
I’ve played every GTA since 3. Easily hundreds of hours collectively.
For a fair while, nobody was doing what they were doing really. They were extremely unique games. The freedom of the open world, the modern setting, the criminal drama, the high production values (of their respective release eras), the scathing satire. All of it combined was exceptional.
For my own personal tastes, I have largely out grown their style of expositional story telling and mission structures, but I still think everything I listed above applies and at that no one else is really doing what they are doing. In terms of a free roam modern, immersive setting, there really is no competitor in my opinion.
Having said all of that, know that I do not intend on buying GTA 6. Not because I’m not excited for it, because I frankly kind of am for all the same reasons, but rather for reasons that more have to do with the company, management, and my shifting priorities and set of values in my own life.
Do you like crime movies from the likes of Scorcese, Mann, and Ritchie? We don’t get many of those in video games anymore, but GTA lets you play out something like it. Car chases, shootouts, heists, and criminal conspiracies are all here. The next closest thing I can find anymore is something like Yakuza, which dips far more into the silly/anime/over-the-top and caters to a different set of tastes even when it’s not a turn-based JRPG these days. So that’s why I’m looking forward to GTA, and unfortunately Gang of Dragon is looking super cancelled now.
3 was ground breaking with the level of violence and huge 3D map. Vice City and San Andreas immersed me in unique settings (80s and black criminal cultures).
I didn’t really see any element that intrigued me for 4 and 5. I had the same kind of assumption as you: just more of the same. I didn’t have a PC psycho enough to run the games nor a console, so that played a big factor on my decision to skip those titles.
For me, 4 really nailed the mechanical gameplay. It felt good to speed around the streets and get in gun fights in a way that none of the others have before or after. I know there’s a large contingent that feels the same way, so I’m hoping R* has been paying attention and goes back in that direction for 6. GTA 5 had superior environments and story, but it just didn’t feel as good to play.
They’ve historically made a game with good writing in it, with good side quests that really immerse a gamer into the world and a lot of people like that style of open world play and those interesting side stories that wasn’t just superfluous padding that would give a player tens, if not a hundred hours, of just good fun. That seemed to be the draw for the game with just enough refinement of the original game play that was serviceable. Heck even I enjoyed GTA V single player quite a bit with all of the weirdness with Trevor.
I just don’t particularly like their online component where it’s all pay to win and massive amounts of what I would consider psychological abuse of addiction that they’ve devolved to and literally admitted what their target of console players was.
I used to be super into gta. I played every one to death. When it was suddenly 3d, it was mind blowing. I lost my interest in 5 because of the whole sellinh it 5 times, delayed release and thrn i didn’t like it too much and online is a shitshow. I haven’t even seen a trailer or anything for 6
This is exactly how I see GTA. I loved playing Mafia, Mafia 2, LA Noire, Sleeping Dogs (this was the peak) but GTA games always bored me after a couple hours.
There’s a lot of reasons, but the big thing you need to keep in mind is that the average gamer buys less than 2 games a year. That’s who you’re targeting if you wanna sell a million billion copies of a game. Where most years that’s probably going to be a sports game or cod, GTA is a cultural phenomenon that will have millions and millions of dollars of advertising behind it. First buying the game will be social, a way to engage with cultural phenomenon, then it’ll be a good value proposition (typically they’ve had a lot of hours of gameplay per dollar thanks to open ended sandbox gameplay and breadth of features), and then it’ll be social again when GTA6 Online drops, and again when the PC release happens. This is all staggered out to maximize sale and resale and stay in the discourse to the point that it’s what an AI would say a CEO should do for a big release. After that they’ll be targeting whales because old GTA Online still makes over a million dollars a day in 2026 but that’s drifting away from the why
The only one I’ve actually played it GTA V. I have thousands of hours playing Online with friends but the campaign I played once back in 2014 and barely remember a thing from it.
I just don’t get the hype personally for GTA VI. I played a couple of the games, skiped a couple, played another and it’s just more of the same thing every release. Got bored within a couple hours. Now another one is coming out which will also just be more of the same damn thing. To each their own I guess.
GTA is a large open world sandbox… Wanna crash cars? Play cards? Take on the army? Street race? Fly planes? See how many tow trucks a tow truck can tow? Short the stocks? Be a cabbie? [Insert online features here… Not my cup of tea]
Thanks to mods it can also be played similar to Garry’s Mod, Track Mania, Forza… Whatever…
It’s a sandbox…
And… I won’t be buying it until PC. Every other GTA has been day 1 for me… Not buying a PS5 for it.
I wish I knew an intelligent hardcore fan of the series so they could articulate what they see in it. I doubt Noah Gervais is going to cover it anytime soon.
Ok, I’ll bite. I’ve been a fan of the single player games since III.
As someone who learned programming and 3D graphics modding games, the series has always been special to me, and pretty directly lead to my career.
What makes these games special is that Rockstar develops their own in house game engine, and has the money and staff to take the time and do it right.
From what I’ve read and watched about this new engine, they are doing things so far beyond what any other company has invested in, that GTA VI is going to redefine what gaming can be.
While everyone else is on the Unity and Unreal band wagon, pumping out clones of systems everyone else is making, Rockstar is creating new low level technology to build a truly reactive, immersive environment.
Will they create a GTA Online that just milks money out of micro transactions? Sure, they will, be stupid not to.
But, I am honestly excited to see what kind of single player simulation of a living city they are able to produce with 13 years of development.
Did I buy the $100 premium version? No, I will never preorder a game again after Cyberpunk, but if the reviews are good I’ll drop $100 dollars on a game that I’ll easily play for 500 hours
Okay, that’s worth knowing. It sounds ambitious, but for me a large game-as-simulation usually makes me think of Bethesda’s house style. Which is to say, treating everything as a toy rather than writing you into a story, in a way.
It’ll be interesting to see how GTA VI avoids the (what I see as) pitfalls of Bethesda’s way of thinking. Can a sufficiently advanced simulation take the place of a writing staff? Caveat - I know GTA VI will have some amount of a script in place, I just tend to notice that simulation style game design seems to prefer to create gameplay experiences dynamically through the environment, rather than through pre written story supported by gameplay elements. Games like this want your experience to be defined by interactivity, which necessarily deemphasizes the scripted aspects of a game.
It’s equally interesting to hear that there’s still a value proposition in creating your own proprietary game engine, rather than modifying the existing offerings. I’m a little against it as I’d prefer see more work done on open source like Godot, but I won’t dig in my heels about it because I know not every project is suitable for that sort of thing. It would be great if they could license out their engine to other developers at some point.
I played every game since original top-down 2D, including GTA V, that last one for maybe 10 hours. I did 100% San Andreas and IV, but didn’t really get into DLCs.
I like it for absurdist writing that makes the world look like hyperrealistic USA. I like it for the tunes. The missions were fun when I was more ok with railroad experiences. Secrets, references, sometimes hilarious dialogue.
I didn’t like GTA V much though. Maybe it was just more of the same or maybe it got worse in some way I didn’t quite notice. Or maybe I just like other things in video games after 20 years.
I think V especially has a huge following thanks to multiplayer, including RP servers. I never really cared for either.
Hope that helps.
It does, I think! I’ve only played this series a little, and very distantly. Let me know if I’m close: So we’re talking about more than just satire but in a sense hyperbole, getting immersed in a setting with the vibes cranked up and slightly distorted. It’s a funhouse where all the mirrors are hilariously America-shaped, and the cartoon version of yourself it portrays becomes the satire.
Makes sense then that the more multiplayer experience of GTA V would have less time for the craft of that atmosphere, instead prioritising the delightfully crass verbs of GTA in the context of online gaming. Even a server dedicated to RP will tend to put a mirror up to the player, which probably detracts from the humour and vibe; self awareness takes you out of things, after all.
Yeah sounds pretty close, especially for Vice City, San Andreas and IV.
I think they also shared some cultural similiarities with Idiocracy and it’s vibes. No to the same extend, but in many ways pointing out casual things and saying “this is what it’s actually like, if you think about it”.
I think I don’t like V as much because it’s become too realistic and detached from the comic book slapstick I’ve known GTA for since 1998. And the themes lost the self-deprecating irony, becoming bland.
I guess they just optimized for the lowest denominator, always the way to grab the most of the market.
The themes are somewhat preserved in RDR2 (Didn’t play 1) - it’s very serious in general, but there’s this simmer of “ain’t this ridiculous” under the obvious drama. Worked for me much better than V ever did.
I’ve played every GTA since 3. Easily hundreds of hours collectively.
For a fair while, nobody was doing what they were doing really. They were extremely unique games. The freedom of the open world, the modern setting, the criminal drama, the high production values (of their respective release eras), the scathing satire. All of it combined was exceptional.
For my own personal tastes, I have largely out grown their style of expositional story telling and mission structures, but I still think everything I listed above applies and at that no one else is really doing what they are doing. In terms of a free roam modern, immersive setting, there really is no competitor in my opinion.
Having said all of that, know that I do not intend on buying GTA 6. Not because I’m not excited for it, because I frankly kind of am for all the same reasons, but rather for reasons that more have to do with the company, management, and my shifting priorities and set of values in my own life.
That makes sense from other things I’m hearing, yeah. Thanks!
Do you like crime movies from the likes of Scorcese, Mann, and Ritchie? We don’t get many of those in video games anymore, but GTA lets you play out something like it. Car chases, shootouts, heists, and criminal conspiracies are all here. The next closest thing I can find anymore is something like Yakuza, which dips far more into the silly/anime/over-the-top and caters to a different set of tastes even when it’s not a turn-based JRPG these days. So that’s why I’m looking forward to GTA, and unfortunately Gang of Dragon is looking super cancelled now.
3 was ground breaking with the level of violence and huge 3D map. Vice City and San Andreas immersed me in unique settings (80s and black criminal cultures).
I didn’t really see any element that intrigued me for 4 and 5. I had the same kind of assumption as you: just more of the same. I didn’t have a PC psycho enough to run the games nor a console, so that played a big factor on my decision to skip those titles.
For me, 4 really nailed the mechanical gameplay. It felt good to speed around the streets and get in gun fights in a way that none of the others have before or after. I know there’s a large contingent that feels the same way, so I’m hoping R* has been paying attention and goes back in that direction for 6. GTA 5 had superior environments and story, but it just didn’t feel as good to play.
They’ve historically made a game with good writing in it, with good side quests that really immerse a gamer into the world and a lot of people like that style of open world play and those interesting side stories that wasn’t just superfluous padding that would give a player tens, if not a hundred hours, of just good fun. That seemed to be the draw for the game with just enough refinement of the original game play that was serviceable. Heck even I enjoyed GTA V single player quite a bit with all of the weirdness with Trevor.
I just don’t particularly like their online component where it’s all pay to win and massive amounts of what I would consider psychological abuse of addiction that they’ve devolved to and literally admitted what their target of console players was.
I used to be super into gta. I played every one to death. When it was suddenly 3d, it was mind blowing. I lost my interest in 5 because of the whole sellinh it 5 times, delayed release and thrn i didn’t like it too much and online is a shitshow. I haven’t even seen a trailer or anything for 6
This is exactly how I see GTA. I loved playing Mafia, Mafia 2, LA Noire, Sleeping Dogs (this was the peak) but GTA games always bored me after a couple hours.
There’s a lot of reasons, but the big thing you need to keep in mind is that the average gamer buys less than 2 games a year. That’s who you’re targeting if you wanna sell a million billion copies of a game. Where most years that’s probably going to be a sports game or cod, GTA is a cultural phenomenon that will have millions and millions of dollars of advertising behind it. First buying the game will be social, a way to engage with cultural phenomenon, then it’ll be a good value proposition (typically they’ve had a lot of hours of gameplay per dollar thanks to open ended sandbox gameplay and breadth of features), and then it’ll be social again when GTA6 Online drops, and again when the PC release happens. This is all staggered out to maximize sale and resale and stay in the discourse to the point that it’s what an AI would say a CEO should do for a big release. After that they’ll be targeting whales because old GTA Online still makes over a million dollars a day in 2026 but that’s drifting away from the why
The only one I’ve actually played it GTA V. I have thousands of hours playing Online with friends but the campaign I played once back in 2014 and barely remember a thing from it.
The interogation scene was pretty gnarly.