GTA VI: switching characters mid-chase, working out, sleeping and a world that reacts

British magazine Dazed has published an excerpt from its autumn 2026 issue, and it's packed with Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay details plus on-record quotes from Rockstar's developers. The headline: you can play as Jason or Lucia separately or as a couple, and switching between them is seamless even while they're together. Eurogamer calls this a first for the series.

The preview walks through an example. On the drive to a job you can hop between Jason at the wheel and Lucia scrolling in-game social media. On the way back there's a car chase, and at any moment you can choose to drive as one of them or shoot at the pursuers as the other.

Jason and Lucia's relationship

The pair's relationship is a core part of the game. It's shaped by what they go through together and by how you react, whether you're playing as Jason or as Lucia. As a couple they can hit the beach or ride a jetski. (Vice City, a beach, a jetski. I can't think of a better date.)

RPG elements and a reactive world

Let's go through the rest one by one:

• Eating: affects your character's weight.
• Working out: visibly changes build and increases strength.
• Sleep: too little of it shows on the characters' features. IGN says it's unclear whether it affects gameplay as well.
• Social media: there's a feed you can scroll in-game.
• Reactive world: people respond to you differently depending on how you behave. Stroll down the street open-carrying a rifle, for example, and they will notice.

According to Dazed, your choices have repercussions that cut much deeper than the honor system in the Red Dead Redemption series.

Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, put it this way:

We want to enable as much self-expression as possible, without losing the essence of the characters.

He also talked about how the team works:

We look back at our previous games with a critical eye and see where we want to evolve based on what we didn't do as well as we would have liked to... A lot of what we do is very iterative - we adjust a lot of things by feel based on what is working and what isn't.

As part of its research, Rockstar sent teams to Miami to meet local people from all walks of life.

The Netflix extended look is tomorrow

The extended look premieres on Netflix on August 27 at 3 PM ET, with the YouTube version following six hours later.

Leaks and a less cheerful backdrop

Unfortunately the game has been hit by several leaks over the past week, including one focused on the story. Rockstar released a statement calling the situation "heartbreaking". If you want to stay spoiler-free, be extra careful where you scroll right now.

Eurogamer also points out that Rockstar has been accused of union-busting after firing dozens of staff late last year. Take-Two cited "gross misconduct", while the IWGB union called the firings victimisation linked to union activity.