Behind The Scenes Of Grand Theft Auto VI

Grand Theft Auto V has sold 230 million copies—more than Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and Hogwarts Legacy combined. That number helps explain why the entire games industry is clearing its calendar for Grand Theft Auto VI, which arrives in November. But the game itself is also a fascinating departure for Rockstar: a story about two people who actually seem to like each other.

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Jason Schreier visited Rockstar North in Edinburgh and saw the game running live. The biggest shift is tonal. GTA V, released in 2013, was "very nihilistic," Schreier says—a game full of characters who are "all just awful people" and "exhausting to spend time with." Its protagonists (Michael, Trevor, Franklin) yell at each other constantly. By contrast, GTA VI's leads, Jason and Lucia, are a Bonnie-and-Clyde couple who "seem to really enjoy spending time together."

The game's signature new feature is free-roaming with your partner. You can text Lucia to meet you in a park, walk together holding hands, and bespoke dialogue will play. You can go to the gym together—Jason does bench-press mini-games while Lucia runs on a treadmill—then leave, steal a scooter, and case a jewelry store. "It feels very like, oh, of course this is what should happen," Schreier says. "But in practice, it's very different than other Rockstar games."