Grand Theft Auto 6’s day started a little early. While everyone waits for the expanded version of the game from Netflix, new information has emerged from an unlikely source. British magazine Dazed published an excerpt from its Fall 2026 issue, which includes some gameplay details of GTA 6 along with some quotes from the development team. Some of the shared curiosities also corroborate the recent leaks. Although we have long suspected that Jason and Lucia are the two protagonists of the game, Rockstar never shared any details about how it will work. Now, Dazed’s preview clarifies a few things. For starters, you can play as Jason or Lucia individually or as a pair, a first for GTA. You can switch between the two seamlessly, even while the two are together. The preview depicts a car ride on the way to work where you can switch between Jason in the driver’s seat and Lucia scrolling through the game’s social media feeds alongside him. This continues for the rest of the mission. As the return trip turns into a car chase, you can switch between driving as a character and shooting pursuers at any time. Image credit: Rockstar Games The relationship between Jason and Lucia is a central part of GTA 6 and will be affected by the situations the pair go through and how you react when playing as either of them. Since you can play as a couple, you can do activities as a couple, like taking time to go to the beach or ride a jet ski. Rockstar appears to be heavily emphasizing choices and their repercussions in GTA 6, with a more reactive world and deeper moral system that goes a few steps further than Red Dead Redemption 2’s honor system. Although the preview doesn’t share specific details, it’s clear that the player’s sidewalk experience will change significantly from previous GTA games. For example, the world and its inhabitants will react to you differently if you walk around with a rifle than if you don’t carry it open. This focus on immersion and grounded reactive systems has been a point of contention following recent leaks. Some players are wary of a world that can be so realistic that it does not allow for the chaos characteristic of GTA. For example, GTA 6 brings back the body weight mechanic from San Andreas, where eating and not exercising enough will have visible effects on your character, as will lifting weights regularly. “We want to allow for as much self-expression as possible, without losing the essence of the characters,” said Rob Nelson, head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North. Part of that work involved going to Miami, doing research, and meeting real people from all walks of life who call the city home. Meanwhile, Rockstar has been accused of union-busting after the studio laid off dozens of employees late last year. The studio’s parent company, Take-Two, said the employees were fired for “serious misconduct.” The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), however, argued that the dismissals “amount to victimization and collective dismissal linked to union activity.” Formed earlier this year, the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU) is seeking voluntary recognition from the studio after increasing its membership following layoffs. GTA 6 launches on November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
