GTA VI in Edge: 12 new screenshots and the systems Rockstar North explains
Edge got inside Rockstar North a few weeks before launch: issue 430 of the British magazine, on sale from October 29, 2026 and free to read on GamesRadar+, gives Grand Theft Auto VI a sixteen-page feature with twelve new screenshots. Written by Simon Parkin, it follows ninety minutes of unscripted play led by co-studio head Rob Nelson, and fills in details that were still missing: the Criminal Profile scale, a new ratio for the map’s size, public transport, fuel.
| Item | How solid it is |
|---|---|
| The 12 screenshots and the feature | confirmed, material supplied by Rockstar |
| Map nearly as large as GTA IV, GTA V and RDR2 combined | confirmed, Rockstar tells Edge |
| Criminal Profile from Professional to Irredeemable, affecting the story | confirmed, described by the developers |
| Jason and Lucia’s bond on four levels | confirmed, described in the feature |
| Working buses and trains | confirmed, says Rockstar’s Phil Hooker |
| Jason and Lucia getting married | unconfirmed, Nelson won’t say |
| Release on November 19, 2026 | confirmed, unchanged |
The twelve screenshots
Compared with Game Informer’s, which focused on nature, these stay closer to the street: robberies, bikers, parties, a tattoo done in a yard. But the shot that will travel furthest is underwater.
The world
The first shark in an official screenshot is a hammerhead, shot from below among the sponges on the seabed: until now sharks were only a line in the species lists. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
Downtown Vice City from the bay, backlit. Two helicopters in the sky, and on the waterfront the Ferris wheel already seen in the sunset shots. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
An airboat among the cypresses, with white egrets in the shallows. Most likely the Grassrivers, though the feature doesn’t name the place. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
A biker gang rides in formation down the main street of an inland town. The sign points west on route 88. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
At the motocross track: pink hair, a heavily tattooed torso and a dirt bike with pink plastics. A monster truck behind. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
A yard tattoo, with an armed lookout and a sleeping dog. Whether getting a tattoo is also an activity for the player, the feature doesn’t say. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
Jason, Lucia and the rest
Jason forces a car door while Lucia runs out of the store: the simplest way to raise cash between missions, as explained further down. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
The motorcycle getaway, with Lucia covering their backs. In the session Edge describes, a getaway like this ends on a stinger strip. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
Lucia fires from the window with a submachine gun, Jason drives with a pistol in hand. You can switch between them mid-chase. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
Jason takes aim with an explosion behind him. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
A party under neon lights: who the young woman in front is, the feature doesn’t say. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
Moustache, a scar over one eye, a bulletproof vest and a radio; behind him two people walk past with duffel bags. No name is given. © Rockstar Games, via Edge.
The map: nearly GTA IV, GTA V and RDR2 combined
The feature confirms that Leonida is roughly twice the size of GTA V’s map, the ratio already given to Game Informer, and adds a second one: according to Rockstar, the total landmass, Vice City and surroundings included, is nearly as large as the playable maps of GTA IV, GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 combined. It’s still a ratio, not a measurement, with the limits explained in the guide to how big the map is.
Garbut, though, stresses something else: there are “an order of magnitude more interiors” than in previous games, and every back alley was thought through by someone. Homes are dressed like real lives, with photos on the walls and clutter on the tables. During a session Garbut walked into a house he had never seen and found it trashed by a dog left alone: Jason grimaced in disgust with no scene written for that place. That’s the reaction-to-smells system, built for a single piece of content and then extended to the whole world.
Two changes of pace from GTA V: roads are narrower, “a more believable size” in Nelson’s words, and the day-night cycle is much longer. With GTA V’s timings, he explains, at this level of detail “everything felt too fast”.
The Criminal Profile has a scale, and it changes the story
The Criminal Profile was already known to be separate from the wanted level and not to reset when you lose the police. Edge adds the scale: it runs from Professional to Irredeemable, represented by an angel and a devil. That’s probably the answer to the angel icon seen in the Extended Look when Jason pets the dog.
The room for choice has limits, though: you pick what kind of criminal to be, not whether to be one. The feature puts it as a joke: you can’t give it all up to become a yoga instructor.
Jason and Lucia: a bond on four levels
How close the two are is measured on a four-point scale, which usually grows with time spent together: walks on the beach, cycling, working out at the gym (once they’ve bought a membership), or just driving around, one at the wheel and the other on the phone. As in GTA V you switch between them when the story allows. “We start them wanting to be together, and wanting to give this relationship of theirs another shot,” Nelson says. “But, as the game progresses, it’s yours to keep or yours to lose.”
The rest of the system is in the guide to the couple.
Weather, cloud by cloud
In GTA V the weather had fixed states, sunny or rainy. Here clouds move on their own, shaped by wind, humidity, fog, time of day and season. You can stand in sunshine and watch a storm form in the distance; drive towards it and the roads get wet, buildings drip after it passes and surfaces dry at different rates. Wind moves trees, clouds and waves, and islands and buildings shelter stretches of water: in a boat you either skip across or get rocked about depending on where you are. Planes and helicopters get buffeted by storms, and staying inside one can cause light damage. Pedestrians look for shelter.
Police: an investigation instead of stars
The “heat” system tracks what the police know about you: physical description, whether you were alone or with a partner, what you were wearing, whether a camera caught you, what weapon you had. Splitting up from your partner, changing clothes or dropping the weapon removes pieces of the description. The overall picture is in the wanted level guide; Edge adds what it saw happen.
Carrying weapons changes things too: a shotgun slung on your back is one thing, one in your hands another. People back away or scatter, some challenge you, and who saw you matters. Dropping a weapon in time can keep a situation from becoming a wanted level.
Cars: home delivery and the fuel tank
- Scooter Bros. A phone app: for a modest fee someone brings you your car in a few seconds and rides off on the scooter they came with. Your whole arsenal is in the boot.
- Fuel and engine. Every vehicle has a fuel gauge and an engine health readout. You can drive a long way before running low, and refuelling is quick.
- Thefts with consequences. Some drivers flee, others are armed and fight back; newer, expensive cars may carry a tracker, and the owner may report you. The rest is in the car theft guide.
- WAINK. The app listing the models fences want, with each one’s security and tracker. Part of the payment depends on the car’s condition on delivery.
Between missions there are also natural pauses: sometimes Jason and Lucia need to raise cash for the next job, with a gas station or jewellery store holdup, or by stealing a car a fence wants. The other ways to earn are in the money guide.
Life outside the missions
The game has working buses and trains. Phil Hooker, who is responsible for driving the game towards stability, says he now spends a lot of time waiting for buses to check they turn up on time: “I’ve memorised all of the routes.” Garbut puts it another way: you can buy beer and cigarettes, take the train for the day, go to a club. “You can have your life in the game.”
The world also throws semi-scripted encounters at you: in the session a group of youths in a 4x4 with purple underglow challenges Nelson to a race and keeps at it until he accepts, in a family station wagon. Other details from the session: coffee boosts stamina, a protein shake boosts health, and a passer-by whose dog Jason stares at too long unleashes it on him.
Who made it
Rockstar North has around 900 people in Edinburgh, in the former home of The Scotsman newspaper. The work is split across studios: Toronto led world population and research, San Diego ambient and interactive events, and a Los Angeles team of writers and directors worked on pedestrians, with around 600,000 animations. The first research trip to Miami, led by Nelson, dates back to 2015. The story came later: Rockstar waited until Red Dead Redemption 2 was finished.
In short
- Edge 430, from October 29, 2026: sixteen pages on GTA VI, free on GamesRadar+, and twelve new screenshots, including the first shark in an official image.
- According to Rockstar the map is nearly as large as GTA IV, GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 combined, and roughly twice GTA V.
- The Criminal Profile runs from Professional to Irredeemable, with an angel and a devil, and influences the story.
- Jason and Lucia’s bond has four levels; whether they can marry, Rockstar won’t say.
- There are buses and trains, the Scooter Bros app to have your car delivered, fuel and engine health.
- Release stays November 19, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I read Edge’s GTA 6 feature for free?
On GamesRadar+, run by Edge’s own publisher, from October 29, 2026: the article is called Grand Theft Auto VI exclusive, The state that never sleeps. The print magazine is out the same day, with a gatefold cover featuring Jason and Lucia.
How many new screenshots are in Edge 430?
Twelve. Fifteen come with the feature, but Rockstar had already published three: Jason and Lucia in a car, the Vice City tower at sunset with the helicopter, and the outskirts of Port Gellhorn.
What is GTA 6’s Criminal Profile?
A system separate from the wanted level that tracks how you behave over time. According to Edge it runs from Professional to Irredeemable, represented by an angel and a devil, and Rockstar says it changes how Jason and Lucia’s story unfolds.
Are there buses and trains in GTA 6?
Yes. Edge writes that the game has working bus and train lines, and Rockstar’s Phil Hooker says he rides them during testing to check they run on time.
Can Jason and Lucia get married?
Unknown. Their bond is measured on four levels and the player can nurture it or let it slide, but asked about marriage Rob Nelson said neither yes nor no.