Summary
For many gamers, theGrand Theft Autofranchise epitomizes open-world gaming. With the ever-elusiveGrand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar will most likely reprise its typical sandbox formula. However, with the innovations made in the open-world genre since the release ofGrand Theft Auto 5, it’s worth wondering just how muchGrand Theft Auto 6will deviate from expectations.
GTAis known for fast cars, satirical writing, and cutting-edge environmental design. Indeed, at the time of their respective releases, games likeGrand Theft Auto 4andGrand Theft Auto 5presented players with levels of detail and visual fidelity that were arguably unmatched. Delivering a strong sense of believability and character has been a top priority for Rockstar, as the cities of theGTAfranchise are teeming with personality and charm. Rockstar’s video game worlds are unforgettable for a lot of fans, but they aren’t without their issues, and innovative open-world games from the last decade highlight these shortcomings.
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Rockstar Can Embrace GTA’s Open-World Potential with Grand Theft Auto 6
In recent years, gamers have been reminded of the sprawling potential of the open-world genre. Games likeElden Ringhave set a new standardfor open-world games, offering not just sheer scale but also depth in their exploration elements, as players are actively encouraged to look around every corner and inspect every small detail. The same can be said forThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand its sequel. Put simply, if a player sees a mountaintop in the distance in one of these games, they will likely find something worthwhile at the top, whereas a mountaintop inGrand Theft Autowill only reward a player with a pretty view. Essentially, the open worlds ofGTAare more like set dressing, serving mostly to create a strong sense of immersion and presence.
WheneverGrand Theft Auto 6comes out, it will likely be compared to titans likeBotWandElden Ring. Broadly speaking, Rockstar is faced with two choices: it can take inspiration from the aforementioned seminal open-world games and place a higher emphasis on rewarding exploration, or it can further expand the already established formula of the series' open-world design. The latter path runs the risk of making the game feel dated and shallow, while the former could pose challenges to the franchise’s identity.
Both choices present a lot of potential, though. Rockstar could continue to iterate upon theGrand Theft Autoopen-world design, leveraging modern hardware to make it more immersive than ever before without reinventing the formula altogether. Alternatively,GTA 6could add new gameplay featuresthat turn the series' open-world staples on their heads, encouraging organic exploration and mystery, perhaps taking a few notes from developers like Nintendo and FromSoftware in the process. Regardless of which path Rockstar decides to take, it will be important thatGrand Theft Auto 6innovates on the series' formula, rather than just giving playersGTA 5with a fresh coat of paint.
Grand Theft Auto 6is in development.
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