Rumors about Grand Theft Auto 6 have been swirling since the beginning of the GTA V era, with players eagerly digging for all the information they can about the next generation of the beloved series. Although the game is still a long way off, more information has trickled out over time about what fans can expect from GTA 6, partially due to leaks as well as more convincing rumors. Some of the rumors are more appealing than others for fans of the series, depending on what they think previous GTA titles are missing or could be improved by.
Earlier this year, a leak of 90 GTA 6 videos both confirmed and refuted some of the most popular rumors about the upcoming title. Some of these refutations were hard pills to swallow, and while these videos provided a lot of new insight into what Grand Theft Auto 6 will entail, there are other details that are still up in the air, as the many video leaks didn't provide sufficient evidence either way. These are features that would add a lot of fun to Grand Theft Auto 6, if only they were true.
An 80s-Set GTA 6 Would've Been Retro Fun
One of the most prevalent rumors about Grand Theft Auto 6 was regarding the game's time period. Leakers claimed that the game wouldn't be set in the present day, and instead would be set somewhere around the 1970s and 80s. However, GTA V made the rumored 80s setting impossible - in the GTA 6 leaks an NPC references a character from the previous game, meaning it takes place afterward. A setting decades in the past could've been a great change of pace for the series after GTA V, particularly because players are returning to Vice City - the original Vice City game was set in 1986, so this rumor would've lined up with the timeline nicely.
This rumor also would've given the game extremely high soundtrack potential. The Project Americas leak mentions Rockstar's desire to give GTA 6 a strong retro soundtrack, which could've done amazing things for the game's ambiance and immersion, supplying songs that would make GTA 6's radio easily beat GTA V's stations. While the in-game stations featured in previous games are quite good, a 1970s or 80s setting would've completely innovated what players listen to in their cars in a fun way.
Rio Would Be An Amazing GTA 6 Setting
One of the core rumors at the heart of the Project Americas theory is its namesake, the idea that GTA 6 will span the Americas to include a Rio de Janeiro-inspired area, and possibly a Cuban area too. Unlike the last rumor, this one has not been confirmed or denied by any leaks. The videos showed off the Vice City setting and Port Gellhorn, which is likely nearby, but they only represent a small portion of the game and other areas haven't been revealed. This is arguably one of the GTA 6 rumors most likely to be true, and it would be an incredible shift in setting from the series' normal environments.
Empire Building Could Add Depth To GTA 6
Another rumor that hasn't been proven one way or the other yet is that GTA 6 will contain a complex empire-building system not present in most other titles. This would be a mechanic similar to the one introduced in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, where players could fight rival gangs and take over various businesses. A similar feature also exists in GTA Online that allows players to amass their own empire, but rumors have called the potential GTA 6 system even more complex. This has the potential to largely revolutionize the series' gameplay and add a new layer of challenge and strategy to the game's progression system.
While players have a myriad of ways to expand in empire in GTA Online, from making money as a CEO to gunrunning, the prospect of an even more complex system coming to a single-player game is quite promising. Returning to the setting of Vice City is the perfect time for the franchise to dive back into the empire-building mechanic, and would bring a lot of updated fun to GTA 6. The empire-building element of Vice City Stories truly set the game apart when it was released, and combined with the confirmed Red Dead Redemption 2-style heist elements that have been confirmed for the title could create the best criminal system seen by the franchise yet.
Narcos-Inspired Storytelling Would Be An Inspired Shift For GTA 6
One of the most interesting, and as of yet, not refuted, rumors about Grand Theft Auto 6 is the possibility of it taking strong inspiration from the cartel-centric show Narcos. This rumor is another part of the GTA 6 Project Americas theory, and aligns with talk from others that have theorized the game's main story will involve drug running. If players buy into the theory that GTA 6 will partially take place in a South American-style environment, this Narcos theory gains even more traction. It also aligns with the rumored empire-building system for the game, as the show is largely about the rise of cartel leader Pablo Escobar.
An extended part of this Narcos rumor involves the idea that, like the show, those in other countries will speak in their native language. This means the game will have many more scenes that utilize subtitles than previous titles. This change, in tandem with the overall possible Narcos inspiration, would no doubt change the tone of GTA 6 from that of older games in the series, perhaps in interesting - albeit more serious - ways.
The game's overall ambition may be why Rockstar waited so long to announce GTA 6, at least partially. Currently, while things like the title being set in the 70s or 80s have been conclusively proven false, other features on this list are still up in the air. Many players are likely hopeful that some mechanics like empire building and more areas to explore eventually prove to be a part of the next game in the franchise, but they'll have to wait a while to find out. Upon its final release, Grand Theft Auto 6 will probably contain at least a few elements players haven't even predicted yet in the many rumors that have spread about the game.
Source: GTA Videos/YouTube