The best video game franchises have devoted fanbases that eagerly await every instalment and are routinely rewarded with new entries in the series. Those that spring to mind are Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. and Call of Duty. These titles have all impressed fans with their quality and with their developers’ ability to turn out games on schedule.
Some franchises don’t have the same reliability and their history is littered with abandoned titles and mournful fans. Diablo is a perfect example, with the first two games being released only three years apart, followed by a decade of waiting for the third game and another decade before Diablo IV was released this year. The tragedy of Half-Life’s unreleased games is also a thorn in the gaming world’s side.
Grand Theft Auto started as a series with a regular release schedule. The games steadily improved and the fanbase grew until GTA was one of the most popular games in the world. GTA V was released in 2013, introduced an online version, and broke tons of records for sales and player enjoyment. Then we waited.
And waited. There were expansions and updates but Rockstar was silent about any new releases. When most fans had begun to lose hope, the first images of the upcoming GTA 6 were leaked and now we have a trailer too. We finally have evidence that Grand Theft Auto 6 is on the way.
We don’t know much yet but here are some of the most highly anticipated GTA 6 features:
Online gameplay
GTA V Online made the massive jump from a classic console game to an open-world, MMO. One of the coolest storylines and interactive elements it added was the Diamond Casino. Not only was the heist an enjoyable challenge, but you were also actually able to play the games in the casino, including the Lucky Wheel. With the popularity of the casino in the game, GTA 6 is likely to expand it and make it even more interactive.
The details of GTA 6 Online have not been made clear at this point, so it’s not known whether the elaborate heists and glitzy casino will be present in Vice City from launch. Considering the success of GTA V Online, however, Rockstar would be reluctant to pass up on the opportunity to further monetise what will be one of the most hotly anticipated games of all time.
Rockstar has a history of implementing in-game purchases into their games, whether that be in the aforementioned GTA Online or other franchises like Red Dead Redemption. Based on the developer’s past form, it’s likely that GTA 6 will feature an expanded array of options for spending your online cash received from these in-game purchases.
Whether this takes the form of unparalleled levels of customisation for your playable character, new and improved vehicles or even a wider array of playable games at the casino is not yet known. One thing is for sure though, in-game purchases will be present and transaction speeds will be blazing fast.
Online gaming companies have been some of the biggest adopters of technology to facilitate rapid transactions. Whether it’s in conventional console games, or even the iGaming industry that Diamond Casino may have drawn inspiration from, payment speed is a crucial factor for customer satisfaction online. So, regardless of what Rockstar offers with GTA 6 Online, you can almost guarantee they will implement systems to ensure transactions are completed at lightning speeds.
Whether you love or hate microtransactions in games, they are one thing that seems to be nailed on for a return in GTA 6, considering how lucrative they have been for Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive Software in the past.
New characters
It was already known that one of the main characters in the game would be an escaped convict named Lucia. She will be the series’ first female protagonist in over a decade. Her male partner, Jason, has also been introduced, and Easter eggs in the trailer have convinced some fans that his character is linked to a Red Dead Redemption 2 character. Fans can’t wait to see if that link is explored.
There has also been speculation that Lucia and Jason may not be the game’s only protagonists, since an earlier leak suggested that one or both would be killed during the game. Fans are fascinated by the potential opportunity to switch playable characters midway into the game.
Gorgeous graphics
Once we saw the graphics in the trailer, we understood why the game had been in development for so long. The glimpses we’ve had so far of the city look so realistic it’s hard to believe, and the cars and characters look amazing too. Footage in the trailer even shows the seat of a car responding in a realistic way to the shifting body weight of the character!
Some fans have even noticed how realistic the characters’ body hair looks in the trailer. If Rockstar has put so much work into something as unimportant as rendering individual hairs then it seems likely that the rest of the game will have just as much detail.
New items and activities
The GTA series has always been known for its array of vehicles and weapons, and this next instalment looks like it’s going to take things even further. The leaked item lists suggest there will be more ways to break into more locations and new tools for advancing the characters’ criminal exploits.
The leaked list of weapons is even more exciting. Obviously, the rocket launcher and Molotov cocktail immediately caught everyone’s attention. The variety of guns, grenades and knives suggests that combat will play an even bigger role in this edition of the game.
For players who love the relaxed aspect of open-world gaming, the addition of activities to Grand Theft Auto 6 is very intriguing. The last edition of the game brought in a casino with playable games, and the success of that seems to have inspired the developers to add golf, fishing and dice games.
