GTA 6 Robberies, Police and Car Theft: What Rockstar Showed in IGN's Full Interview

With Grand Theft Auto VI due on November 19, 2026, IGN has published its full interview with Rob Nelson, Co-Studio Head and Head of Development at Rockstar North. Nelson played about 30 minutes of the game for IGN, and the interview went up in full on October 7, 2026. Reports differ on whether it was recorded in July or August. This article covers the crime side of what he said. We could not open IGN's transcript itself, so everything below is taken from press coverage of the interview, linked in each section.

Robberies: "You can rob pretty much anything"

Per GTAVice's rundown, Nelson said robberies are a major part of play between story missions, and demonstrated by robbing a headphone shop. Players are encouraged to prepare, for example by parking a getaway vehicle outside. He skipped that step to see what would happen:

• He found a safe. An explosive could open it, but would damage the valuables inside.
• Police gathered outside the shop.
• He escaped through a rear exit.

Car theft is no longer one button

Inven Global reports that one-button hotwiring has been removed. The details reported across the coverage:

• Some parked cars stay locked until you get specific tools later in the story, such as a key cloner or slim-jim. Carjacking a driver is always possible.
• The in-game phone has a vehicle scanner that shows whether a car is locked, whether it has an alarm or tracker, the tools needed to steal it, what a fence would pay, and what it costs to register it for personal use.
• Damaging a stolen car lowers the fence's payment. Nelson repaired a stolen Infernus before delivering it.
• Cars with advanced trackers must be kept moving fast, or they reveal their location to the police.

How the police work

The coverage describes a police system that pays more attention to you than in earlier games:

• Police track your appearance, clothing and vehicle.
• Crimes are reported only if they are witnessed or an alarm goes off.
• Buying a new outfit can clear heat, and spare outfits can be stored in your personal vehicle.
• At three Wanted stars, escaping by car is hard unless you have a very fast vehicle or a sports bike. Slipping away on foot through alleys is usually the better option. Changing clothes, switching vehicles or splitting up Jason and Lucia can also help.
• A "Focus" mode highlights nearby police.
• Getting arrested still ends in the "Busted" screen and a respawn.

GTAVice says Rockstar frames this as a "hit-and-run" approach rather than a constant shootout.

Working with your partner

When Jason and Lucia are together, you can switch to your partner while travelling. The partner drives while you shoot at pursuers. Nelson said this works in open-world robberies and encounters, not only in scripted missions.

Missions with more freedom

Dexerto quotes Nelson saying Rockstar made "a conscious effort to open things up where possible, without compromising the quality of the experience". The examples in the interview:

• A tower block escape with several routes out.
• A police chase where the game marks an optimal route, but "if you don't follow it, you can still get out", as quoted by Dexerto.

The stated goal is for robberies and police to behave the same inside missions as they do in the open world. Nelson also said some story moments work better when the player is guided through specific beats, so not every mission will be open.

Money matters more

Inven Global reports that cash matters more than in past GTA games, and that some parts of the story require earning money before missions can move forward.

What we cannot confirm

• These are press accounts of a developer-led demo, not release code. Features and numbers can change before launch.
• Rockstar has not published map measurements. Nelson called the map "very big" and said the demo showed only a small slice of it.
• For exact wording, read IGN's original interview. Rockstar's own page for the game is at rockstargames.com/VI.