GTA 6's driving physics suggest a comeback to the realism seen in GTA 4.

      **Take-Two Interactive**

      The most significant automotive news and reviews, no nonsense.

      Throughout the week, an unnamed leaker has been sharing snippets of Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay. These clips showcase a range of activities, from flying planes to shooting hoops to getting tased. One particular video, which briefly depicted a player navigating an intersection in a vehicle reminiscent of a Ford Ranchero, caught the attention of GTA enthusiasts who appreciate the driving aspect of the games. Many fans are hopeful that this hints at a return to the more substantial and challenging driving mechanics of GTA IV.

      There is a widespread belief among dedicated fans that GTA V simplified driving by providing vehicles with enhanced grip and downplaying elements like weight transfer and suspension movement. In GTA V, if you accelerate from a stop in a rear-wheel-drive muscle car, the tires quickly grip the surface; if you turn the wheel sharply, the car is far less likely to fishtail, and you will notice significantly less suspension movement compared to GTA IV.

      **GTA V vs. GTA IV - Vehicle Gameplay Comparison**

      Honestly, I haven’t noticed this discrepancy as drastically as many others in the GTA community. Prior to this writing, I hadn’t played GTA IV in about 14 years, while I experienced GTA V only in 2024. In the latter, you can still easily spin out and lose control if you are reckless with your actions, or collide with another vehicle and be thrown into a spin. GTA's physics have always leaned towards comedic elements, emphasizing spins, crashes, and overall chaos, which is a hallmark of the series.

      To refresh my memory of GTA IV’s driving dynamics, I strolled across the street (support your local retro game stores) and picked up an Xbox 360 version, which fortunately remains compatible with the latest Xbox consoles. My findings confirmed that yes, cars in that title feel generally more cumbersome and slippery, mimicking the rolling and jostling of large American vehicles from several decades ago. However, I wouldn’t say the difference is huge, although executing handbrake turns is noticeably more challenging.

      In comparison, the vehicles in GTA V offer a slightly more immediate response and don’t seem to bend like jelly when changing direction. This last point merits further exploration, as I believe it touches on a common misinterpretation regarding car behavior in video games.

      When discussing how virtual cars handle, it’s common to link the on-screen visuals to the underlying physics calculations we can’t see, since that’s how things work in reality. However, games aren’t constrained by those laws. Rockstar can increase a car's suspension travel while maintaining a similar level of grip; it can heighten the visual drama without necessarily correlating it to the specific calculations that dictate traction, slip angle, and the like.

      I believe this is part of what is occurring between GTA IV and V. I don’t think driving in IV is significantly harder; it simply appears to be, and it’s challenging to separate the visual perception from the mechanical.

      Another aspect to consider is that GTA IV is filled with vehicles reflective of the malaise era, which makes it logical for them to handle less predictably than the more modern vehicles found in GTA V. As Andy Kelly noted in The Gamer a few years ago, “Liberty City is an unpleasant place, coated in a palpable layer of grime and danger,” and its vehicular traffic mirrors that atmosphere.

      Now, returning to the GTA VI leak, the Vapid Ganado that Jason is driving is undoubtedly a vehicle steeped in that malaise, particularly in the worn condition depicted in the video. Observing the footage—how the body shifts backward and forward when the player hits the brakes, the smoke rising from the tires after a quarter-donut, and how the pickup spins into the side of an ambulance while trying to escape—suggests that Rockstar might aim to align GTA VI’s driving mechanics more closely with its predecessor from 18 years ago. That’s a distinct possibility.

      From personal experience, however, it's important to recognize that one can only assess a game’s vehicle handling to a certain extent through observation alone. Camera behavior plays a substantial role in shaping our perception of physics in games, more than most people realize. For instance, this is why I can’t tolerate the chase cam in Screamer, yet I find it comfortable to use its unconventional, twin-stick driving system when viewed from the hood or bumper perspective. I’m also curious to see how GTA VI’s faux-Ranchero performs at actual speed, something we don’t get to witness in this brief clip.

      Given the frequency of these leaks, perhaps we’ll soon get that insight, or we might catch high-speed gameplay in Rockstar’s “extended look” trailer next week.

      Which GTA's handling do you prefer, and what are your expectations for GTA VI? Share your thoughts in the comments.