GTA 6: Rockstar Deliberately Making Streets Narrower Than in GTA 5

According to GamePro, the world of GTA 6 is twice as large as its predecessor. However, Rockstar is intentionally conserving space in one specific area: street width. They are noticeably narrower than in GTA 5, and this is a design decision with far-reaching consequences.

Why Are Streets in GTA 6 Narrower Than in GTA 5?

This information comes from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, who was allowed to visit Rockstar North, saw gameplay, and spoke with developers. In a video on his YouTube channel, he shares details that didn't make it into his extensive Bloomberg report. According to him, Art Director Aaron Garbut explained that GTA 5, with its wide streets, felt more like an arcade racer: players could easily weave through traffic and speed past other cars. This approach is a thing of the past for GTA 6; Rockstar is focusing on more realism.

According to Garbut, the early decision for narrower streets had a cascading effect: denser traffic requires more buildings and an overall denser environment. This aligns with what we've already heard about the city, for instance, that hundreds of interiors in Vice City are said to be explorable.

What Does This Mean for Chases in Vice City?

Rockstar North Co-Studio Head Rob Nelson stated in an interview with IGN in early October that the team has put a lot of work into locomotion and movement. There will be situations where it's better to get out of the car and escape on foot, run, jump over fences, and climb. With three wanted stars in the city, it might be difficult to escape in a vehicle – unless you're in a very fast car or on a sports motorbike. Often, the best strategy will be to leave the main streets and flee into alleys.

For you, this means that speeding through traffic in an escape vehicle will likely be significantly harder in GTA 6 than in GTA 5. Traffic jams and slow progress are likely, at least in dense areas. However, not all open-world streets will necessarily be equally busy.

From our perspective, this is a bold decision: less of an arcade feel can bring more tension, but also frustration if you're constantly stuck in traffic. Whether this concept proves successful will be seen when GTA 6 releases on November 19th for Xbox Series X|S and PS5.

Source: GamePro

Are you looking forward to denser traffic in Vice City, or does it already annoy you? Discuss with us in the comments!