Just before GTA 6 preorders kick off, Rockstar Games has revealed the exclusive contents of the Ultimate Edition. Described as “an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action,” this GTA 6 special edition is not just a $100 splurge, but also our latest insight into how we’ll interact with this massive criminal open world. Read closely and between the lines and you’ll find dozens of gameplay details here, revealing brand new activities like stolen goods fencing, fishing, and car restoration projects. And so we don’t have to wait until the November 19 release date to start to understand exactly what we’ll be up to on the streets of Vice City. Here are 22 new GTA 6 gameplay details right now.
Missions and Gameplay
1. Pitt Youngin$ Illegal Goods Store is described as a “Gang Compound”, which sounds like an activity type. Rockstar explains that you’ll “raid the compound of one of Southside Vice City’s loudest and most socially active gangs,” and so it may be that Gang Compounds are somewhat akin to outposts or enemy strongholds in other open-world games. Pitt Youngin$ may be just one of many compounds.
2. The description says you’ll need to “escape safely to score some special items and distinct contraband.” While words like “contraband” are thrown around casually in GTA, it seems like buying and selling stolen goods will actually be an important activity. One of the Ultimate Edition exclusive cars is the ‘67 Vapid Dominator Buggy, which is stored at the Paradise Garage in Watson Bay. Said garage features a “secure place to deposit stolen goods to be fenced.” It certainly looks like we’ll be running some kind of stolen wares business. And how do you get those illegal goods? Very possibly by boosting Gang Compounds. And heists, of course. There will surely be heists.
3. The Paradise Garage also features a weapon locker, a feature that will be familiar to GTA Online players. Since landing in the hospital or being busted by the cops usually strips you of all your weapons, this will be a way to ensure you have guns ready and waiting for you when you’re released from custody.
4. It seems like garages will not be the only place you can store weapons, though. The Ultimate Edition’s Shitzu Squalo boat is equipped with “an explosives-laden weapons crate.” This may simply be a box of bombs, or it could be a spot to hide whatever guns you want. And if a boat has weapons storage, then it’s possible that car trunks can be filled with rifles, too. The pre-order bonus ’55 Vapid Stanier sedan has a weapons locker, which perhaps functions similar to how you stored weapons on your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2. It seems like GTA 6 will only be more ambitious in its realistic simulation of life, so functional car trunks don’t feel out of the question.
5. The GTA 6 website notes that the Shitzu Squalo is “perfect for casting in Gambit Bay and reeling in catches of all sorts,” suggesting fishing has finally come to GTA. And if you can catch fish, that would also point to some kind of new inventory system to keep them in, as well as potentially a cooking mechanic. Or you could just throw your catches back to the dolphins.
Vehicles and Customization
6. We can see scuba diving equipment on the Shitzu Squalo, so it seems like underwater activities are back. If you prefer things to stay on the water’s surface, Jason has a Crest-brand Kayak at his safehouse. He also has a Dinka Endura, an off-road tail bike. It looks like off-road races will certainly be a thing in GTA 6, as the aforementioned ‘67 Vapid Dominator Buggy offers “impressive off-road handling for the backwoods of Mount Kalaga and beyond.” The same description makes mention of the “Mud Club”, and we saw that messy crew getting excited about trucks and beer in the first trailer. Could we perhaps join the Thrillbilly Mud Club to participate in their events?
7. In other car-related activities, the Ultimate Edition features a “Special Commission” that tasks you with tracking down a variety of abandoned classic cars and bringing them back to their former glory. This sounds like it could be GTA’s answer to Forza Horizon’s barn finds, and could make for a cool campaign-long side quest. While the Classic Car Collection will be exclusive to the Ultimate Edition, it could well be that there are other “Special Commission” activities awaiting us in Leonida.
8. Of course, we can’t discuss cars in GTA without considering modifications. The new details confirm that mod shops are back, and seemingly more extensive than ever. Customisation now extends to car interiors, but it looks like many of the old classics will return, including wheels and paintwork. Off-road modifications will also be available, transforming cars into all-terrain vehicles. The Ultimate Edition also includes a “modkit” for Jason’s Vapid Ganado called the “Retro Build” – perhaps we’ll be able to purchase pre-assembled bundles of mods to create specific versions of cars, rather than just making individual tweaks?
9. Some cars don’t need modifications, though. Not if they look like the ‘95 Grotti Cheetah. The Cheetah is, of course, one of those classic GTA cars, having been featured in almost every game since GTA 3. Interestingly, while GTA 5’s Cheetah was inspired by the sleek Ferrari Enzo, GTA 6 brings back the old Testarossa-style design from the original Vice City.
10. According to the GTA 6 website, the Cheetah is “available to punctuate later-stage action,” suggesting that Jason and Lucia only gain access to it in the story’s second half. This may be the case for many of the Ultimate Edition bonuses, which Rockstar says “are threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story, with new items uncovered behind each chapter.” Rather than just being dumped on you in a never-ending parade of pop-ups when you first boot up the game, these additions will be provided at specific milestones, perhaps with their own story beats.
Safehouses, Stores and Customization
11. A very important thing noted through the Ultimate Edition’s offerings is that several stores are “only open for business with the Ultimate Edition.” That includes two mod shops: Rideout Customs and One-Eyed Willie’s. It also includes a range of clothing stores, a salon, and a tattoo parlour. While their ranges will all be exclusive to Ultimate Edition owners, what they sell does help paint a picture of the vast levels of customization available to all players.
12. As you’d expect, we can choose how both Lucia and Jason style their hair. Jason can also opt to wear facial hair, while Lucia can have her nails painted. All these services are available from Sara’s Unisex Salon, and so it may be that gender-specific salons exist across the city providing more specific treatments – perhaps we can customise Lucia’s makeup, for instance.
13. We can also see both characters wearing earrings and jewelry across the numerous new screenshots, suggesting that clothing and accessory choices drill down to the minutiae.
14. One of the Ultimate Edition exclusive stores is Electric Fang Tattoo, which will ink you with one of over 50 tattoos designed by real-life Brooklyn-based art collective FAILE. GTA has a long history of collaborating with real-life artists, the most obvious one being radio stations stuffed with hit songs. But its TV shows have also featured real comedians, such as Ricky Gervais, and so this tattoo parlour represents a widening of that blend of real people and imaginary worlds.
15. Talking of TV, one of the Ultimate Edition bonuses is a collection of apparel inspired by “Macca the Gator”, a hit television show in Leonida. Both GTA 4 and 5 featured watchable TVs with a full schedule of programmes, so it seems a safe bet that a) working TVs are back, and b) Macca the Gator and his colourful animal friends will be part of the broadcast.
16. A TV will likely be found in your safehouse. Every GTA has had at least one place where you can kick back and relax, and GTA 6 will be no different. The website refers to the house we saw Jason living in at the start of the second trailer as his “safehouse”, so expect the usual save and sleep options here, plus potentially more mechanics, like those aforementioned weapon lockers.
17. When it comes to safehouses, perhaps the most memorable of them all is the Vercetti Estate, the massive mansion on the original Vice City’s Starfish Island. While GTA 6’s version of Vice City is very different from its PS2 predecessor, we now have confirmation the mansion is back. Ultimate Edition owners have access to a pair of Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers, which have been “sourced from the Vercetti Estate.” While that’s not confirmation we’ll physically go to the mansion to retrieve the guns ourselves, nor is it confirmation Tommy Vercetti will be in the game, it does point to Rockstar weaving more continuity than ever before between its old PS2 games and its more recent output. Currently split into the “3D” and “HD” universes, have those timelines been retconned or stitched together in GTA 6? We know Phil Cassidy is back – we saw him on the TV in the second trailer – so there’s certainly some connection to the past going on.
18. Each of the Vercetti Estate revolvers have been personalised with custom grips, engravings, and added extras – Jason’s is affixed with a massive high-powered scope, replicating Vice City Stories’ Equalizer revolver. Another Ultimate Edition bonus is a pair of similarly customised semi-automatic pistols for the duo, and so both sets point to an absurdly granular level of detail when it comes to weapon customisation. This isn’t just about functional mods like silencers and scopes, it’s about showcasing personality.
19. The fact that both Jason and Lucia can have their own individually customised weapons suggests their loadouts are their own. And if one of my other theories prove true, that cars can be used as weapon storage akin to RDR2’s horses, that would likely mean our protagonists can only carry a couple of weapons at a time – without the entire arsenal in a weapon wheel, they’d need a place to keep the extra firepower. And so this could lead to “builds” – choosing the right weapon loadouts for the job ahead of time. Perhaps you can kit Lucia out with shotguns and SMGs to have her storm the frontlines, while Jason hangs back with a sniper rifle to provide overwatch? GTA 5 provided some opportunity for tactical choices via its three protagonists, but this kind of approach could raise GTA 6’s firefights to a whole new level.
Pre-order Bonuses
20. That’s a lot of speculation though, so let’s get black to the facts. Pre-ordering GTA 6 nets you access to the Vintage Vice City pack which, of course, is full of plenty of callbacks to the neon-soaked 1980s. The first of its bonuses is the ’55 Vapid Stanier, the yellow-and-white sedan that was always parked outside of the Ocean View Hotel in GTA Vice City. The description notes that it has “a secure place to deposit stolen goods to be fenced,” yet another insight into how the stolen goods system will work.
21. The Vintage Vice City pack features a “weapon pattern”, which is presumably a skin to be applied as part of the weapon customisation system. This particular pattern is special, though, as its bright blue palm tree look is taken from Tommy Vercetti’s iconic Hawaiian shirt. The pre-order bonus costumes and hairstyles don’t have direct links back to Vice City clothing, but Jason’s linen suit jacket with its rolled-back cuffs certainly nods back to Tommy’s light blue Soiree suit, while the pastel purple trousers are a similar shade to the two-piece worn by his lawyer, Ken Rosenberg.
22. Finally, there’s one detail that looks back even further than the 1980s. In this poolside image we can see a set of folded dollar bills that feature an old man. His beard has a distinctive “V” cutout and his hairline mirrors it. While the money clip covers his face, those other details make it clear this is President Hardin, one of the former US presidents in Red Dead Redemption 2. This isn’t the first time Hardin has graced the $100 bill – a similar banknote could be spotted in GTA Online’s The Contract add-on.
And those are the 22 details we spotted in the latest GTA 6 information drop. Have you been able to find any more cool gameplay features or Vice City callbacks in the Ultimate Edition and pre-order bonuses? Let us know your finds and your theories in the comments.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Executive Editor of Features.
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