The announcement of a new Grand Theft Auto title in development has recently upended the video game community. Rockstar Games released an update on February 4th, detailing every new project they have lined up, including a new GTA title. Although very little is known about the game, fans have already begun speculating how it might turn out. From possible locations to new gameplay mechanics, theorists are populating internet forums and blogs with predictions of what the next addition to this long-standing franchise might have to offer.
Since its original conception in 1997, Grand Theft Auto’s plot and gameplay have been heavily centered around cars. Making up one-third of the franchise’s name, “auto”-mobiles are still one of the fundamental pillars of the game. With every new title, the developers have introduced newer driving mechanics which improve on the games that came before, and with this new title in development, surely new vehicle functions and customizations will be available for players to enjoy. Here are a few ideal innovations we would love to see in the new title from Rockstar Games.
10 In-Garage Car Restoration
Any car nut has at one point desired to take some beaten-up classic and go to town on it. Restoring a car is no easy feat; it’s a point of deep pride for people who have embarked on the journey, and rightfully so. However, buying custom parts, refreshing paint jobs, and tuning cars are simply dreams for many fans. By bringing this mechanic into GTA VI, Rockstar could help many fans play out their wildest restoration fantasies.
Buying older models for cheaper and slowly building them up would make for entertaining, fulfilling, and even educational gameplay for car novices. The feature would also enable players to show off their hard work and feel a sense of bonding to their vehicles.
9 Player Manufacturers
Though individual restoration would be a fulfilling endeavor for any car enthusiast, the innovations wouldn’t have to end there. As players level up and gain more influence, they could begin mass-producing and sharing their designs with an online community. This could lead to leaderboards and top lists for custom creations. While some players might focus on making high-performance vehicles to utilize in competitive settings, others would most likely abuse this feature to make monstrous hybrid creations. But then again, free expression is exactly what open-world games like GTA are all about.
8 Car Interior Customization
Though GTA allows for incredible amounts of car customization, not much can be said about the interiors of vehicles.
This absence has spurred countless community creators to fill the void through mods that enable interior customization for vehicles. With first-person driving gaining more and more notoriety, it is time for a base game mechanic that allows interior customization for vehicles.
7 Custom Image Upload
With all this talk of in-depth car customization, one cannot help but think of just how much real-life customization is made up of stickers, custom wraps, and original visual details. Almost every car one drives behind has at least a witty bumper sticker or two.
The ability to upload and paste custom images onto cars would be a spectacular addition to GTA’s car customization menu. Whether players choose to paste their favorite stickers, memes, and jokes, or modify cars to resemble NASCAR and F1 vehicles, the possibilities would be endless.
6 High-Speed Police Vehicles
Any time one boots up a game of GTA, one is acutely aware of a looming, unavoidable eventuality. The police will begin giving chase after the slightest deviation from the law. However, once characters progress to certain levels and begin driving around in supercars that cover huge distances in mere seconds, the threat of these chases seems to diminish. To remedy this Rockstar could draw inspiration from the Dubai Police Department’s choice of vehicles.
They are known to use supercars such as the Bugatti Veyron and the BMW i8 to chase their equally well-equipped targets. Perhaps with a fast enough car and enough stars, you too could gain the attention of one of these Police supercars.
5 Customizable Helmets
Though all rules of traffic safety are pushed to the side in games like Grand Theft Auto, the developers do their best to encourage road safety. Player characters automatically don helmets when mounting open air vehicles such as motorcycles and ATVs.
The ability to customize one’s helmet would bring a whole level of emersion to this experience. It would also urge players to wait the extra second for their character to don the helmet before peeling out into the streets. Remember, helmets are crucial both in and out of the game!
4 Open Air Vehicles
With innovations coming to the automotive industry every day, unique designs are beginning to populate both urban and rural streets. One of these designs are open-air cars. Looking like an otherworldly mix between a motorcycle and a car, these vehicles would make an exciting addition to the automotive landscape of GTA VI. Rockstar would also be expanding the number of vehicles in which players could show off their customized helmets (SAFETY!!).
3 “Slips” Race Mechanics
Being an M-rated franchise, GTA has never pulled its punches with illicit and underground activity. One such unlawful addition could be racing other players for “slips”. Slip racing began in the early ’50s, it involved two cars drag racing down a straight path with the winner receiving the “pink slip” or ownership of the loser’s car. The practice was brought into the mainstream by films like Rebel Without Cause and Grease, quickly gaining notoriety in underground racing circles. This game mode would push players into heavy customization and would introduce a whole new sense of danger to racing in GTA.
2 Limited Fuel Capacity
Though cars are given special treatment in the GTA universe, a few more limitations would make the game more realistic and challenging. The integration of vehicle fuel capacity would introduce players to a whole new world of adversities that require careful planning to overcome. Knowing that traveling long distances or transporting heavy loads increases fuel consumption would require players to strategically choose the right vehicles for the jobs they take on. The elimination of infinite fuel would also make police chases direr than ever before.
1 Player Specializations
Though this final idea has less to do with cars and driving, it would solidify the “driver” archetype in this open-world game. With the recent popularization of RPGs, many studios are incorporating skill trees and specialization mechanics into their newer projects. The ability to choose strengths and even possible weaknesses for characters would deepen immersion and make teamwork critical. Giving players the choice to invest in abilities such as weapon’s expert, hacker, brawler, and driver would encourage cooperation between players on a level never seen in GTA titles. Though the game will surely be a commercial and critical success either way, Rockstar could propel GTA VI into the forefront of innovation in gaming by integrating such immersive and personalized systems.
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