Cars Aren’t the Only Vehicle That GTA 6 Needs to Perfect

Cars Aren't the Only Vehicle That GTA 6 Needs to Perfect



Grand Theft Auto and cars are like the peanut butter and chocolate of the games industry: they complement each other perfectly. When Grand Theft Auto 6 rolls around, this emphasis on automotive excellence will no doubt be at the forefront of the experience again, with Rockstar hopefully striving to elevate the series’ vehicle-based mechanics and features in meaningful, exciting ways.

This can mean better, more responsive controls and physics, polishing or tweaking the fun arcade driving of GTA 5, but it could also mean the addition of new systems or features only tangentially related to the act of driving. For instance, deeper and more granular customization options could help Grand Theft Auto 6 live up to the series’ longstanding traditions while evolving them. But cars are rarely the only type of automobile players have access to in GTA, and in GTA 6, that appears to be more true than ever.

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Grand Theft Auto 6 Needs to Nail Its Boat Systems

Boats Will Ostensibly Play a Big Role in Grand Theft Auto 6

Obviously, GTA 6 won’t be the first time the franchise has visited a coastal, tropical location. But the glamorous nature of Vice City, coupled with the inspiration of real-world Miami culture, suggests that boat life will play a more significant role this time around. Indeed, nothing screams “Miami” more than a luxurious summer soirée on a speed boat or yacht, and keeping the player on the sideline of this lifestyle would be a huge missed opportunity.

One of the most important things for Rockstar to nail with respect to GTA 6‘s boats is, of course, the actual experience of driving them. Boats can sometimes play second fiddle to cars and aircraft in GTA, mainly due to a lack of obstacles and inherently shallower physics (no pun intended). It’s fun to drive a car at breakneck speed while weaving in and out of traffic, narrowly avoiding collisions and making wild jumps, but none of these fun factors apply to boat-driving. Boats are often far removed from hazards and have a sense of weightlessness to them due to the medium in which they exist, so it would behoove Rockstar to find a way to make them as fun and consequential to control as land vehicles.

Boat-Centric Features That Would Be Cool To See in GTA 6

Making boats as fun to drive as cars and planes is a tall order involving a lot of nuance, but there may be other, more attention-grabbing features surrounding boats that GTA 6 could incorporate. Boat customization, for instance, would be incredibly gratifying and refreshing for the series, especially if players can purchase and upgrade larger, more complex seacraft. Being able to turn a sailboat or yacht into a full-fledged home, with personalization options available for the interior spaces, would be a particularly interesting avenue to explore. The size and versatility of interiors is something that sets boats apart from cars, so leaning into this could be a boon for GTA 6.

Aside from the bread-and-butter mechanics of maneuvering seacraft, folding boats into the broader gameplay loop of GTA 6 could also be rewarding. For example, maybe players could lower their wanted level by transitioning from a car to a boat, or make use of boats for disposing of evidence and other, smaller-scale criminal activities. GTA 6 could even channel classic mob media like The Sopranos, allowing players to conduct “business” on the open sea, away from prying eyes.

Whatever Rockstar plans to do with boats in GTA 6, one can only hope that their role will be expanded from previous entries. In GTA 5 and GTA 4, they can feel almost like an afterthought, never quite reaching the mechanical or role-playing potential of vehicles, and GTA 6, with its beach-party vibes and tropical-glam setting, has the opportunity to break the mold in this regard.

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