GTA 6
GTA 6’s map work began in 2015.
Art director Aaron Garbut told Bloomberg that roads would be “significantly narrower” than those in GTA 5, with denser traffic planned from the start. Rockstar started researching Miami and planning the game’s map that year, establishing decisions that would shape its streets and surrounding buildings. The approach would leave players with less room to move between vehicles during chases. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier shared these details in a video after visiting Rockstar’s studio in Scotland, along with an explanation of how the team’s limited weapon carrying led to a lengthy debate over the weapon wheel.
Development lead Rob Nelson also discussed Rockstar’s intention to make GTA 6’s weapon system closer to Red Dead Redemption 2.
After working through those options, Rockstar returned to the wheel, which Schreier said would appear in the finished game. Players would carry a limited selection of weapons, requiring them to choose a loadout. That raised a design question: a weapon wheel with empty slots could continually remind players of weapons they didn’t carry. The team spent months, potentially years, exploring alternatives. Developers tested trays, webs and other interface layouts, including an approach without a weapon wheel. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
Schreier said GTA 5’s wide roads gave players room to pass traffic and drive through the city at speed. the available space made driving feel more like a racing game, with traffic posing less of an obstacle. For GTA 6, Rockstar chose a street layout that made vehicle navigation more demanding While its setting drew on Los Angeles.
Schreier said he had not noticed the difference until developers pointed it out. The decision also affected how artists built the surrounding environment. Narrower streets and a denser road network required more buildings and additional construction. “All these things sort of come to bite you later,” Garbut added, describing the consequences of those early choices.