Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most successful and acclaimed video games in history, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that just an announcement of an impending reveal trailer for GTA 6 has sent the gaming community into a frenzy.
When GTA 5 came out in 2013, it became the fastest game or movie to crack $1 billion in revenue, doing so in just a mere three days. As if initial success wasn’t enough, it ended up being the second-highest selling game of all-time, and is one of the highest-grossing of all-time with over $8 billion earned.
There are a handful of features in GTA 5 that made the game shine, and Rockstar isn’t known as a developer to copy-and-paste features between games, they’d be remiss if they didn’t consider some of these features when it comes to GTA 6.
Multiple protagonists and an intersecting story
While Rockstar has introduced new protagonists via DLC, such as Luis in the GTA 4 expansion The Ballad of Gay Tony, GTA 5 was the first in the series to feature multiple protagonists within the game’s main story. Retired career criminal Michael, his erratic and violent former running mate Trevor, and up-and-coming criminal Franklin each have their own unique personalities, ticks, and tendencies, which bring a variety of different mission types through the GTA 5 campaign.
The trio’s relationships within each other are fascinating to see evolve, most notably Michael and Trevor’s rocky and uneasy reunion, as well as Michael playing the unwilling mentor to his crime protégé Franklin. Each character’s goals, actions, and story intersect with each other masterfully, and it would feel like a letdown not to have a similarly great cast in GTA 6.
The intricacies of planning a heist
Planning a heist is a foundational part of both GTA 5 and its online counterpart. The heist-planning system rewards players willing to spend time or money on being exceptionally prepared, and pulling off an online heist is one of the most satisfying achievements a group of friends can do.
Within the GTA 5 story, the trio of protagonists can recruit potential heist participants from other missions and activities, and as the player you’re presented with big choices. Going with an amateur will cost less and result in a bigger payout, but increases the risk of something going wrong, while going with a safer professional will reduce risk but increase your planning costs. The heists themselves are fun as well, but they’re made that much more satisfying by getting to plan them yourself.
Easily accessible online play
While subject to the occasional connection issue, the simplicity and ease by which you could switch from playing any of the protagonists in the GTA 5 story to your GTA Online character is exceptional. Just by opening a radial menu and selecting your online character, you’re whisked away to a public lobby in just a matter of moments.
Overall, GTA Online as a whole is something that should return for GTA 6, and based on how much Rockstar and Take-Two have made from it, it’s a safe to assume it will continue. Between heists, races, criminal activities, years of new content, and acting as a foundation for the wildly popular RP community, GTA 5 wouldn’t be the hit it is without online play, and the same should be true for GTA 6.
