Cars have always played an important role in the Grand Theft Auto series, but Grand Theft Auto 6 could give them a more vital part to play outside traditional boundaries. Stealing and driving cars are signature aspects of Grand Theft Auto's gameplay, being the most efficient way to get around and being required for many missions - the idea is so important, it's right in the title. Yet Grand Theft Auto 6 has an opportunity to make cars important for more than simply being stolen, driven, and wrecked across the city. There is still a whole dimension of automotive possibilities that the series has yet to explore.
Although players will drive a lot in every Grand Theft Auto game, only GTA Online's various vehicles have let players focus on cars to a significant degree. Most of the time, cars in GTA games are little more than the way for players to get from one place to another, and there are only a few options to fix them up. GTA Online let players collect garages full of cars, with a few customization options added in. The series' next mainline entry should go even further in emphasizing why its protagonists are so knowledgeable about automobiles through areas like repair stations.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Can Emphasize Its Automobiles
Grand Theft Auto Online's customizable trucks are a good starting point, but in addition to paint jobs, adding more options for players' cars such as customized vinyls and other modifications could help players fully stand out. In addition, the option for players to use their own garages to swap out upgrades they've purchased would be another solid mechanic. Examples could include swapping between tires for either on or off-road driving, or modifying its weight to adjust speed and performance.
Grand Theft Auto 6 can also give players far more to do with their custom vehicles. If Grand Theft Auto 6's potential new features make fixing and customizing cars a bigger part of the game, the player could have a garage or auto shop where they fix or detail cars for extra money, giving the protagonists a legitimate job (perhaps as a front) when they aren't busy with missions. In addition to the extra cash flow, this could also help round out the protagonists' character traits and give them more to do.
Letting the protagonists work with cars would undoubtedly lead to a good amount of story content. They could get involved in fun Grand Theft Auto side missions regarding the business, such as finding a place in the local race scene or stealing back a car that was stolen from a customer. Depending on the characters' personalities, there could even be a desire to drop out of a life of crime and make the garage their full-time career. That sort of desire for legitimacy is rare in the Grand Theft Auto universe, and it could give GTA 6's protagonists a unique hook.
While Grand Theft Auto's protagonists have been stealing, driving, and racing for decades, the series' connection with cars could stand to take a significant step forward. Alongside Grand Theft Auto 6's rumored new protagonists, an upgrade to the series' automotive features could end up being one of the game's big draws. Cars are a vital part of the Grand Theft Auto series' identity, and it's about time that gameplay highlighted them in new ways.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is in development.