Even after its recent delay, hype surroundingGrand Theft Auto 6is as palpable as ever, with audiences on the edge of their seats awaiting more concrete information. Sadly, the two trailers shown thus far don’t seem to highlight much gameplay, with all their footage appearing to be from in-engine cutscenes. Nevertheless, there is a good deal ofGTA 6informationswirling about the internet in the form of leaks and rumors, which have helped elevate expectations.
Of course, there was the massive Rockstar hack of 2023, which illuminated much ofGTA 6’s fundamental elements, but even more unofficial information has come down the pipeline in its wake. Just a few days ago, a forum user by the name of GamerollGTA, who had previously correctly leaked the last names ofGTA 6’s protagonists, unshackled a bevy of such info, making all manner of new claims about Rockstar’s upcoming open-world adventure. Some of the most notable bits of intel allege that Jason and Lucia will haveGTA 5-style special abilities, and thatRed Dead Redemption 2’s greet and antagonize mechanics are making a return. But one claim stands out from the rest, painting a picture of a game that’s even more ambitious than many first assumed.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Will Reportedly Have Hundreds of Physical Shops To Explore
Leaks Claim GTA 6 Will Have Around 700 Shops
By far, the most compelling and surprising claim fromGamerollGTA’s recent leakis the one regardingGTA 6’s stores and interior spaces. According to the leaker,GTA 6will have around 700 shops and “the most interiors in any open world game you’ve ever played.” This would represent a considerable step forward for the life-simulation and world-building aspects of theGTAfranchise, makingGTA 6’s map one of the most detailed and intricate that the gaming world has ever seen.
But how exactly will these hundreds of shops function? That’s a question that’s more complicated than it might seem, since it’s not just about what’s technically possible with current gaming technology, but what actually makes sense within the context of the game’s design. In other words,GTA 6is going to need to justifythe existence of these hundreds of stores, which means offering loads of different incentives to engage with the in-game economy.
How Grand Theft Auto 6 Could Make Its Shops Matter
The leaks aren’t specific about the function of these shops; it’s possible that several, if not most, of the in-game stores exist for the purpose of robbing, not shopping. In this case, they would function more like open-world activities than integral parts of theGTA 6item economy. There would still be ways to make these locations interesting, of course—maybe they could require different robbery techniques or come with specific risks or bonus opportunities—but they wouldn’t be groundbreaking in the way that hundreds of traditional shops would be.
Assuming that these 700 shops are actually places of in-game commerce, they raise a lot of questions aboutGTA 6’s various features and gameplay systems. For instance, one might assume that a good number of these shops may be dedicated to apparel, hairstyles, and other cosmetics, while several others could sell weaponry, cars, and the like—but splitting 700 shops into just these two broad categories seems unlikely, unlessGTA 6literally has thousands of different cars, guns, and clothing items to choose from. Maybe there could be shops connected to as-of-yet-unrevealed gameplay pillars, like base-building or business management: there could be furniture stores or wholesale retailers that exist to support these pillars. With so littleunveiled aboutGTA 6by Rockstar itself, and with this claim about hundreds of shops being unconfirmed, it’s hard to know exactly how the in-game economy will ultimately turn out. But it sounds exciting indeed.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
