GTA 6's driving physics suggest a revival of the realism seen in GTA 4.

      Take-Two Interactive

      The latest car news and reviews, no nonsense

      All week, an anonymous source has been leaking snippets of Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay. The videos showcase various activities, including flying planes, shooting hoops, and getting tased, but one clip that briefly displayed the player driving around an intersection in a vehicle reminiscent of a Ford Ranchero caught the attention of GTA fans who appreciate the driving aspect of these games. Many are hoping it hints at a return to the heavier, more challenging driving dynamics found in GTA IV.

      It's widely believed among dedicated fans that GTA V simplified driving by providing vehicles with enhanced grip and downplaying factors like weight transfer and suspension travel. For instance, if you accelerate from a standstill in a rear-wheel-drive muscle car in GTA V, the tires will quickly grip the road; and if you swerve the steering wheel, the car won’t skid as wildly, with suspension travel noticeably less responsive compared to GTA IV.

      GTA V vs GTA IV – A Comparison of Car Gameplay

      I have to admit: This distinction never stood out to me as much as it has to others in the GTA community. Before writing this, I hadn’t played GTA IV in about 14 years, while I had just played GTA V in 2024. In the newer game, it’s still easy to spin out and lose control if you’re not careful, or get bumped in a way that sends you into a spin. The physics in GTA have always been designed for comedic effect, emphasizing spins, crashes, and chaos—it’s part of what defines the series.

      To refresh my memory of GTA IV’s driving dynamics, I walked over to a local retro game shop and picked up an Xbox 360 copy, which thankfully is still compatible with the latest Xbox consoles. What I discovered was that, indeed, cars generally feel both heavier and more slippery in that game, mimicking the behavior of American vehicles from four or five decades ago. I wouldn’t say it’s an extreme difference, although performing handbrake turns is definitely more challenging.

      Conversely, most vehicles in GTA V feel a bit more responsive, and they don’t behave as though they are squishy when changing direction. This aspect is worth discussing, as it relates to a common misconception about vehicle behavior in video games.

      When discussing how digital cars handle, there's a tendency to interpret what we see on-screen by applying the laws of physics, as that’s how it works in reality. However, games aren’t constrained by those rules. Rockstar can increase the suspension travel for a specific vehicle while maintaining similar levels of grip, thus enhancing visual drama without it necessarily correlating to the underlying mathematics of traction and slip angle.

      I believe that’s part of what’s going on in the comparison between GTA IV and V. It’s not fundamentally harder to drive in IV, but it certainly appears that way, making it difficult to separate the visual perception from the actual mechanics.

      There’s another factor to consider: the vehicle lineup in GTA IV is filled with cars from the malaise era, which logically handle less predictably than the modern vehicles in GTA V. As Andy Kelly pointed out a few years ago for The Gamer, “Liberty City is an unpleasant place, smeared in a tangible layer of grime and danger,” reflecting the environment in its traffic.

      Returning to the leak about GTA VI, the Vapid Ganado that Jason is driving is undeniably a vehicle steeped in that malaise, especially in its rusted condition. It’s reasonable to watch that footage—observing the body roll as the player slams on the brakes, the smoke from the tires after a quarter-donut, and how the pickup spins into the side of an ambulance while trying to escape—and speculate that Rockstar may be aiming to align GTA VI’s driving physics more closely with its 18-year-old predecessor. That possibility can’t be dismissed.

      From my experience, one can assess only so much about vehicle handling in a game purely by observation. The behavior of the camera significantly influences our perception of physics in games, often more than people realize. For an extreme example, that’s why I can’t stand Screamer when viewed from its chase cam, but I find its unusual twin-stick driving system comfortable when viewed from the hood or bumper perspective. I’d also be interested to see how GTA VI’s faux-Ranchero performs at high speeds, which we don’t get to witness in this brief clip.

      With the current flow of leaks, perhaps we’ll get a better look soon, or we might see fast-paced gameplay in Rockstar’s upcoming “extended look” trailer next week.

      Which handling style do you prefer between the two GTAs, and what are your hopes for GTA VI? Share your thoughts in the comments.