GTA 6 is making a slew of improvements focusing on realism, adding the need to refuel your cars as you drive. The success of this depends on how well it’s implemented—but Rockstar tried its best not to make it an annoyance, according to an interview.
Rockstar North co-director and development leader Rob Nelson confirmed cars will need refueling in the sequel. The news came in an interview with Brazilian content creator DavyJones, who visited the company for an early look at the game in July.
“Fuel is also a thing [in GTA 6],” Nelson told DavyJones during a gameplay session, indicating that even electric vehicles will need a recharge every now and then. Nelson mentioned an instance when he hijacked a car mid-police chase, but it only had a quarter of its gas tank left. He couldn’t lose the cops before fuel ran out, creating a new type of obstacle.
Devs are aware of how intrusive this system can be, potentially turning joyrides into chores. “It’s something we tried to do in a way that’s not annoying,” Nelson said, in a translation from Portuguese. A full tank should last for plenty of time, he added, so this could lean toward an immersive addition rather than a frustrating obligation.
In fact, GTA 6 seems to be a major step toward realism when compared to its predecessors. Between fueling, a more complex carjacking system, and a bevy of other additions, there’s a lot going on. Maybe too much?
Refueling has the potential to bring in new challenges, like the situation Nelson mentioned, and this seems especially in line with the idea of a more grounded world. The player characters were “a bit all-powerful” in previous games, the Rockstar boss told IGN, and GTA 6 seems to be taking active steps to avoid that scenario while keeping the potential from wanton destruction.
Then again, the GTA franchise has always pushed the envelope, and we’re not talking about pressing O to burp or fart at people in GTA 2. Each game seems almost larger than life, and with the decade since the release of GTA V, it’s only natural that its systems will get more complex. In a way, GTA 6 seems to embody a lot more Red Dead Redemption 2 than it does GTA V.
We won’t know how the whole game shakes out until it ships for consoles on Nov. 19. Even then, if some of the systems become too intrusive, Rockstar can always fine-tune them or even remove them altogether.
