The fact that Grand Theft Auto 6 will seemingly have a greater emphasis on realism than its predecessors has certainly raised some eyebrows, with Rockstar confirming that cars will even need to be refuelled sometimes. In an interview with YouTube channel TGG, however, Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson has noted that actions like refuelling don’t take long enough to start getting annoying.
“So, this car is low on fuel,” explained Nelson while showing TGG a demo for the game. “So, there was a passenger in there, and she just threw me out. Alright, so this vehicle is wanted by Randy, who’s a car fence. So, that’s cool, he has a big list of cars he wants.” Further in this demonstration, TGG asked Nelson whether he refuelled the car, to which the co-studio head responded, “Yeah. I may not make it; that’ll be the closest gas station over here.”
On the subject of needing to refuel, Nelson said, “We’ll see what people say. Do you think people are going to like it?” On completing the refuelling animation, he said, “That’s pretty fast for a fill-up; you can’t complain about that!”
This conversation between Nelson and TGG indicates that Rockstar has an understanding of how some players might not enjoy the realism-oriented approach Grand Theft Auto 6 will be taking with its sandbox. However, the system was described by the YouTuber as not being too big of a problem unless the player doesn’t pay attention to things like that when, for instance, planning a robbery. The refuelling process was also noted as being quite quick.
The video also points out that, since Grand Theft Auto 6 takes place in the modern day, there will be plenty of electric vehicles for players to steal. How the recharging process differs from refuelling in terms of speed and availability of charging locations, however, wasn’t discussed in the video.
In the same interview, Nelson also spoke about how the driving mechanics in Grand Theft Auto 6 will be somewhere in between the weightiness of driving in GTA 4 and the high-speed arcade-style driving of GTA 5.
“The team has worked hard to maintain some of the best parts of the weightiness and feel of GTA 4, but have the accessibility of GTA 5. It has all been built up from scratch on this hardware, and they have much more control of tuning drivetrain, tires, suspension, steering; all of that is getting applied to the physics model.”
Nelson also confirmed that top speeds in the upcoming game will be higher than they were in GTA 5. “Driving is weightier, but still very accessible. The driving’s been completely rebuilt from the ground up. All the cars are very different, very different feel; you can reach much higher speeds in the fast ones.”
“Powerful Rear Wheel Drive cars feel great, muscle cars and things like that. You do have to be a bit more careful on the throttle with some of them.”
Grand Theft Auto 6 is making its way to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19th.
