GTA 6 has the chance to offer so much more than that, though. For instance, while Grand Theft Auto: Vice City introduced audiences to the titular Vice City, the PSP prequel, Vice City Stories, gave players the chance to become the crime kingpin of their dreams with Empire Building. Players could purchase and take over buildings to receive revenue and assert their gang’s dominance over the city. It was Vice City Stories’ calling card, but it never really made the transition to the console entries.
Imagine a GTA6 where players can acquire properties, turn them into portfolio assets, and rake in the cash. Now imagine that system being expanded upon to create a world where gangs are constantly fighting over and exchanging turf. Locations that used to be safe could turn into hotbeds of hostility, or vice versa. And if you don’t spend the time and money on protecting your assets, rival gangs will grab them, robbing you of revenue and safety. We’ve seen lesser versions of similar systems before, but who wouldn’t love playing in a world with that kind of dynamic gameplay?
The GTA and RDR franchises have some of the most realistic and advanced NPCs in video games. Sure, they have nothing on real people, but when was the last time you played a game where an NPC was smart enough to realize you have been following them? Of course, there is always room for improvement.
No GTA NPC could use a boost quite like the series’ police. They’re not braindead, but they are far from advanced. All you have to do is stand five feet away from one, and they go crazy on you. They could do without this annoying quirk in GTA6, but they also shouldn’t be harmless. GTA 6 could be the best GTA entry ever if Rockstar made its cops intelligent enough to discern between someone who is just standing around and someone trying to shoot them. Perhaps Rockstar could even make its cops more vigilant in searching for players who try to run but give up when they lose sight for several seconds. Intelligent policemen who systematically search and don’t lack object permanence would be a great way to provide extra difficulty.
At the very least, Rockstar could bring back the sixth star in wanted levels. In earlier GTA games, acquiring that sixth star would summon military troops and tanks. These were nearly impossible to truly beat, but it was a gloriously ludicrous spectacle that deserves to return.
Many players have also noted that they believe GTA’s cops need to be a little more…morally diverse. In modern GTA games, cops shoot to kill. Picture a GTA6 where some cops actually tried to arrest you. Alternatively, what if some cops would investigate certain crimes while others didn’t care? The implementation of potentially crooked cops would help diversify the kinds of threats players would face. Plus, this design choice would be a great callback to the best villain in GTA history: Officer Frank Tenpenny.
