Cars and Driving

0:44 Grand theft auto is still the heart of Grand Theft Auto 6, but taking a car now depends on which car it is. IGN watched Jason open an older car with a slim jim, the way Franklin boosted cars in Grand Theft Auto V; that only works on cars without advanced security, and cars of different eras and values need different methods, with new tools and know-how arriving as you progress. A phone app scans any parked car for its value and the security you would have to beat. A car with someone driving it can still be taken the old way, by throwing the driver out, and what you steal is sold to a fence at a price that depends on the damage.

Quick facts

Breaking in

8:23 In An Extended Look, Jason has two ways into an old car: smash the window as always, or use a slim jim, which opens it without setting off the alarm. Rob Nelson explained the rest to TGG: you need no tool to hotwire, but not every car can be hotwired. Some need a key cloner to start, and you can smash your way into one but not drive it away without the cloner. Early in the game, before you have one, TGG gathers that a parked high-end car is probably out of reach: the way to get one is to pull its driver out while it is on the road.

6:08 IGN heard the same from Nelson: a fancy car may have an electronic lock that needs a key cloner, or a GPS locator that forces you to drive fast before you are tracked. Jason and Lucia's scanning app shows whether a car has such technology, how much you could sell it for, and what it would cost to register it for yourself.

Fences

19:53 A car fence is where you sell vehicles, TGG explains, and fences do more: they may give you lists of cars to collect, and at a certain point they can remove trackers from cars. Loot from robberies also goes to a fence, and personal garages in the Ultimate Edition include a secure place to leave stolen goods for fencing. How trackers bring the police down on you is on Wanted System.

On the road

11:55 The driving is weightier than Grand Theft Auto V's, TGG found: you cannot simply floor it from a standstill, and a rear-wheel-drive car will spin out. Yet top speeds are higher than in Grand Theft Auto V, so the result sits, he thinks, between Grand Theft Auto IV and V, "but even better".

14:16 The lanes are narrower and the traffic much heavier. "Traffic density is crazy compared to previous games," Nelson told TGG, and with narrower roads "you've got to maybe try and drive a little better". Jason also flicks on his indicator before a turn.

10:28 There is fuel, and even charging for electric cars. TGG promises it is "not going to be like a massive inconvenience".

6:02 Not everyone liked what they saw. penguinz0 hated the new GPS map, zoomed in so close it felt "like I'm looking at the map through a microscope", and hopes a more classic view is an option.

Wrecking them

22:20 Vehicle damage has been reworked. Shooting a tire is far more effective than before, and Nelson listed the other targets to TGG: the engine block, the fuel tank and the driver. In the Extended Look's chase Jason leans half out of the window while Lucia drives, something Grand Theft Auto V never allowed, and you can do the same in free roam.

6:26 IGN was struck by how cars roll when their tires are shot out: several times in the footage they flip in a way that far outshines Grand Theft Auto V's physics. Crashes that total your car can trigger a crash camera, which, like the kill camera, can be turned off. See Combat and Focus.

Racing

28:45 Racing is in: TGG counts sixteen cars in the Extended Look's race, expects both lap and point-to-point races, and notes that checkpoints are now pink.

13:53 There is street racing too, with nitrous; gameranx says it "legit looks like a AAA racing game".

What you can own

Rockstar's Ultimate Edition names part of the lineup: Jason's well-worn Vapid Ganado pickup, a two-tone '55 Vapid Stanier with a garage on Shore Court, a '95 Grotti Cheetah, a '67 Vapid Dominator Buggy for Mount Kalaga's backwoods, a Dinka Enduro motorcycle, a Squalo boat and a Crest kayak, plus Rideout Customs, a shop for donk-style builds. Your vehicle is also your armory: extra guns and a change of clothes are kept in it. See Editions and Pre-orders.

Frequently asked questions

How do you steal a car in GTA 6? In Grand Theft Auto 6, older cars can be broken into by smashing a window or opened quietly with a slim jim and then hotwired; newer high-end cars need a key cloner to start, and a car with a driver can still be taken by pulling them out.

Is there fuel in GTA 6? Yes: Grand Theft Auto 6 has fuel for cars and charging for electric cars, which TGG, after seeing the game at Rockstar North, says is "not going to be like a massive inconvenience".

Can you sell cars in GTA 6? Yes: in Grand Theft Auto 6 stolen cars are sold to a fence, and the price falls with damage. A phone app scans a parked car for its value, its security and what it would cost to register it for yourself.

Do cars have trackers in GTA 6? Some do: in Grand Theft Auto 6 police cars and many other cars, high-end ones among them, carry trackers that bring the police to you, and a fence can remove them once that service is unlocked. See Wanted System.

Is GTA 6 driving like GTA 5? No: driving in Grand Theft Auto 6 is heavier than in Grand Theft Auto V, with slower starts, rear-wheel-drive cars that spin out and higher top speeds, on narrower roads with much denser traffic, TGG found.

Is there racing in GTA 6? Yes: Grand Theft Auto 6 has races, with sixteen cars in the Extended Look's race, and street races with nitrous.

Sources

• Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar Games (Ultimate Edition vehicles and garages)
• GTA 6 - Biggest Gameplay Changes From Grand Theft Auto 5, IGN, Aug 28, 2026 (video)
• We've Seen GTA 6 Gameplay IRL - The First Preview, IGN, Aug 28, 2026 (video)
• I Saw 3 Hours of GTA 6 at Rockstar North - First Impressions (Exclusive Info), TGG, Aug 27, 2026 (video)
• GTA 6: Every New Gameplay Feature & Mechanic YOU MISSED, TGG, Aug 28, 2026 (video)
• Thoughts on the GTA 6 Gameplay Reveal, penguinz0, Aug 27, 2026 (video)
• GTA 6: Gameplay DETAILS WE FOUND, gameranx, Aug 27, 2026 (video)