Though there are plenty of beloved developers in gaming, Rockstar Games is a standout member of the community.Red Dead Redemptionis a beautiful take on the Wild West, and the upcomingGrand Theft Auto 6will be the latest in a long, decorated line of genuinely revolutionary titles. It will take a lot to outdo its predecessor in both quality and longevity, but if the response to its recent trailer is anything to go by, its popularity is already apparent.
Grand Theft Auto 6will take players back to the streets of Vice City, but what lies beneath the sandy shores and neon lights in an underbelly of crime. Naturally, police have been a big factor in the series since the beginning, and so the nextGrand Theft Autohas the chance to evolve the law enforcement mechanics, resetting the standard once again.
Police in Grand Theft Auto 5 Were a Double-Edged Sword
TheGrand Theft Autofranchise, predictably, has always been about skirting the line of the law. It’s an industry leader in open-world design, but that innovation is without substance if there’s no reason to explore it. The activities are aplenty, but having run-ins with the law is a foregone conclusion, and thankfully, the chases that ensue are constantly engaging. InGrand Theft Auto 5,they’re arguably the best yet because there are just so many sun-soaked streets that the chase can take advantage of.
However,Grand Theft Auto 5was criticized at launch because the police are so relentless in their pursuit, and can be deployed for the most trivial of reasons. It sometimes made playing the rest of the game feel like treading on eggshells, as one wrong move would derail the activity because the police would arrive in an instant.Red Dead Redemption 2’s ‘Wanted’ systemcircumvented the problem somewhat, but even that was inconsistent.Grand Theft Auto 6has to correct these issues from the get-go.
Cyberpunk’s Police Were a Story of What Could Have Been
In a related case,Cyberpunk 2077was in a prime position to revolutionize police systemsand didn’t. CD Projekt Red promised a Night City rife with criminal activity and less-than-desirable antics, but instead of blazing a trail and building on whatGrand Theft Autostarted, it veered in the other direction. Police would spawn out of nowhere and attack on sight for the faintest of misdemeanors. It detracted from its immersion, and asCyberpunk 2077spectacularly failed to advance on the concept, it now feels like the pressure is onGrand Theft Auto 6to be the one to outdo its predecessors.
The Games Industry Looks to Grand Theft Auto for Guidance
Rockstar Games has forged a huge legacy over the last two decades, with AAA developers looking to it for influence and inspiration. Generation-defining titles have tried to improve onthe structureGrand Theft Autohas created, especially concerning police, but most don’t reach their intended heights. It means thatGrand Theft Autohas stood atop the mountain in that regard, and yet again, Rockstar has to be gaming’s guiding light.
With the upcoming release ofGrand Theft Auto 6, the rumored expanded size of the map and the developer’s track record of chasing realism will mean thata police system akin toGrand Theft Auto 5isn’t going to cut it. There’s a real irony in the fact thatGrand Theft Auto, a series known for its liberal approach to criminal behavior, has the best police mechanics in gaming, yetGrand Theft Auto 6is best positioned to make a substantial, and very necessary leap.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
