The Grand Theft Auto games have seen a lot of underrated and overlooked features, and Grand Theft Auto 6 can rework some of them for a return visit. For a long time, the GTA games have been experimenting with different ideas to add something new to their sandbox gameplay. As a result, the series has seen a fair amount of mechanics come and go.
The bulk of gameplay in Grand Theft Auto titles revolves around the main mechanics of driving and shooting. Outside those, though, the games have offered other ideas that make each game at least a little bit different from the last. Various minigames, side activities, and mechanics have been experimented with, with some returning in subsequent games while others end up being left behind. Not every aspect of the games that didn't get reused was necessarily a failure, and some could be as good as Grand Theft Auto's greatest glitch if handled well.
San Andreas' Gang Territory Could Let GTA 6 Players Take Control Of Vice City
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which gang controls which neighborhoods plays a significant role in the game. The player isn't even be able to start the final mission until they manage to wrest control of a certain percentage of the city for the Grove Street Families. No other game in the series has made gang warfare as big an aspect as San Andreas, but the idea has potential for a return in GTA 6.
In San Andreas, the player can start a turf war by killing a few enemy gang members in a territory controlled by said gang. This would trigger a battle, where waves of gang members from the associated gang would show up, and the player has to fight them all off. If they manage to survive the shootout, they successfully wrest control of the territory, although GTA 5 proves CJ's control was temporary. Once taken over, enemy gang members do not spawn in that territory, making it safer for the player.
If gang territory makes a comeback in Grand Theft Auto 6, then there would need to be some extra bonuses that come with taking over territory. For example, stores and other amenities in player-controlled territories could offer the player a discount. There could also be other bonuses, such as achievements and bonus cosmetics unlocked for reaching certain thresholds of overall control.
Gang territory control was a good way to keep track of the player's strength during the game, as well as how well they were doing in the story. Not to mention, trying to take over the city was a good extra challenge for players looking to be the best. While it remains to be seen if gang warfare will play a part in Grand Theft Auto 6's movie-inspired story, the territory mechanic is interesting enough to see again.
Grand Theft Auto 5's Stock Market Could Be More Useful If It Returns In GTA 6
In Grand Theft Auto 5, players can invest their characters' money in the stock market via the internet, playing the odds in hopes of gaining money from their investments. The main way to make money through stocks is in the form of Lester's assassination missions. Following each of these assassinations, the stocks change dramatically, so having the protagonists invest in the right stocks before performing said missions can see them making massive profits in the aftermath.
If the stock market comes back in GTA 6, then it could be more closely tied to more missions. For example, if a mission requires the player to rob a jewelry store, it's associated stock could plummet in response while those of its rivals rise, potentially creating a better revenue system than most of GTA Online's fast money-making schemes. This would reward players for keeping track of the game's world by smartly investing before their missions in order to come out on top. With the protagonists already being criminals, gaming the system like this wouldn't be out of character for them.
Bringing back the stock market in GTA 6 would serve a couple of purposes. In addition to being a good way for the player to make money in-game, it would be an excellent way to show the protagonists' devious nature through their manipulation of the market. Players could have the option of playing the stock market as much or as little as they like, depending on how much time they want to invest. If GTA 5 is any indication though, the rewards could be handsome.
Grand Theft Auto 4's Friend Hangouts Deserve A Second Chance In GTA 6
Although the friendship mechanic was maligned, it is a surprising place where GTA 6 can learn from GTA 4. In Grand Theft Auto 4, Niko could gain friendship with certain characters by responding to their calls to hang out, or in some cases performing missions for them. However, the way that this mechanic was handled was widely panned. In particular, the player would lose friendship by not picking them up fast enough or turning them down. The mechanic is worth another try, though.
By gaining friendship in GTA 4, the player would eventually unlock extra advantages. For example, Dwayne would call gang members to help Niko in fights, and Roman would give him free taxi rides. If this mechanic was reworked in a more user-friendly way, it could be a fantastic addition to Grand Theft Auto 6. One good way to do so may be to replace the friend hangouts, the source of most of the system's issues, with questlines that would earn the character's friendship instead.
Although GTA 6's protagonists may not survive the game, they could benefit from their own version of GTA 4's friendships. Although the first attempt had problems, there is enough good in the mechanic to be worth giving it another chance. Not only could forging relationships with other characters help flesh out the protagonists, if GTA 4 was any indication, the rewards could be well worth the effort.
Grand Theft Auto has a lot of ideas that could be incorporated into the next game, and not just the more famous features either. By reworking some of the series' less famous mechanics, it could help expand the game's scope into a more fulfilling experience. Grand Theft Auto 6 can greatly benefit from what it can glean from the series' past.
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