Jason lifts weights, Lucia works a heavy bag… are these just cutscenes or will exercise improve our stats?
Even though we got the bad news that GTA 6 was delayed until May 2026 (on console, that is, we still have no idea when it might eventually land on PC), at least there was a ray of sunshine to go along with the clouds of disappointment. Rockstar surprise-dropped a new trailer today which gave us a nice long look at the game—and left us with a few questions.
Hidden among the crime, cars, and clubs of the GTA 6 trailer… could that be a few RPG-lite elements we see?
There’s not a ton of evidence, but it’s hard to see Jason using a bench press in the trailer and not think: is weightlifting just part of a cutscene, or something more? A screenshot of Lucia working a heavy bag in a gym has me wondering if practicing a skill, like unarmed combat, makes her a better fighter. We also see Jason’s hair change during the trailer, ranging from a bit of stubble to a short beard, his hair style is longer at times, and at some points he looks more suntanned than others, too.
Look, this could mean nothing. In GTA 5 you can change your hairstyle and facial hair by visiting the barber, and there are a few minigames like golf that serve as activities but don’t have a wider impact on gameplay. Weightlifting, punching bags, and Jason’s changing facial hair might not signify anything, really.
But this is Rockstar, which has dabbled a bit with light RPG elements, like nutrition, weight, and exercise, in the past: most notably in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, where food wasn’t just something you scarfed down to restore some health.
In GTA:SA, food was a necessity, and players had to make CJ eat every few days of in-game time or he’d lose weight and muscle mass. If he didn’t eat at all, CJ would actually die from starvation.
Eating too much also meant he would gain an unhealthy amount of weight, leaving him unable to leap as high or run for as long as a more fit version of CJ could, and spending time working out would make him stronger and more agile.
That system wasn’t carried over to GTA 4 or GTA 5, but there was a touch of it in Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. Arthur’s weight would fluctuate depending on what and how often you ate, and have a small effect on some aspects of the game. For instance, a heavier Arthur would have a bit less stamina than a slimmer Arthur, but have a bigger health bar. Conversely, a skinny Arthur could run for longer but take less damage than a thicc Arthur.
Arthur’s hair and beard would also grow over time in RDR2, meaning that if you wanted to be smooth shaven you’d actually have to go to the barber and get a shave. Your hair could even be influenced by items like hair tonics, letting you grow long locks and a big bushy beard. It’s not clear if that’s the case in GTA 6, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Jason’s hair grew over time. It’s a cool feature that makes characters feel more real, so why not include it?
And even if there aren’t light RPG systems like the GTA:SA’s in GTA 6, weightlifting could still have a gameplay effect, like yoga did in GTA 5. For Michael (the only playable character who could do the yoga activity), practicing yoga was one way to slightly increase his special ability (bullet time), so it was more than just a minigame or a time-killer. Maybe Jason pumping iron (and he’s benching 265 lbs, which ain’t bad at all) actually makes him stronger in GTA 6, and Lucia working a bag makes her a better fighter.
I personally doubt Rockstar will bring us back to San Andreas-levels of food, nutrition, and exercise: GTA isn’t a survival game, and I don’t think most players were all that enamored with having to constantly manage CJs weight and fitness. But I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these systems were given a light touch in GTA 6, more along what we saw in RDR2. If it’s good enough for Arthur Morgan, it’s good enough for our two new lawbreakers.
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