GTA 6's Wanted System Explained: Everything Rockstar Has Confirmed

As unlikely as it seems given the 13-year wait, "Grand Theft Auto 6" is shaping up to meet impossible expectations. Thanks to Netflix's "Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look" special, we now have a much better idea of what to expect from the gameplay. Meanwhile, developer Rockstar Games has confirmed several new details about the upcoming game, including how the new Wanted system will work.

The new footage showcased protagonists Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos carrying out everything from low-level drug deals to running security for a well-known public figure. In between those jobs, however, was perhaps the most eye-catching segment of the entire "An Extended Look" special, in which the pair found themselves in a high speed chase with multiple police cars. The physics were the most obviously impressive element here, with the squad cars reacting to Jason's shots based on where he's targeting. But it also gave us a good idea of the Wanted system and what kind of police intervention we can expect.

In the "Extended Look" car chase, Jason and Lucia have a four-star wanted level, but there are a total of six possible stars. That's a change from "GTA 5," which dropped the total to five stars overall. The last time a "GTA" game had a six-star wanted level was 2009's "Chinatown Wars." But it seems the new Wanted system is much more complex than a simple six-star system that goes up depending on how much chaos you cause.

IGN was given some insight into the "GTA 6" Wanted system by Rockstar North co-head Rob Nelson, who explained how police will track you based on what you're wearing. "[If I find] a pair of glasses – I'll put on this and this baseball hat," he explained. "But [the cops] still know what I'm wearing, so I would need to go to a clothing store or call my personal vehicle, which has changes of outfits in the trunk." Even changing your hairstyle will only help you so far. "Changing your hair will change your appearance," added Nelson, "But the police will still know what you are wearing, so not great if I am standing out in the open."

To help players keep track, the game will also feature several ​red icons which now sit below the star-level on the HUD and inform players what information the police have. The more cops know, the easier it is for them to find you. "GTA 6: An Extended Look" might have been missing one critical gameplay feature but it did reveal these new icons, which include avatars of two people, a single person, a clothes hanger, and a car. According to IGN, the single person indicates the cops know your physical description and the clothes hanger means the cops know what you're wearing. According to IGN, there's also a camera icon which alerts you to the fact that police have video footage of you from CCTV. 

Presumably the car icon means the authorities know what you're driving, and Nelson did tell IGN that if the cops know Jason and Lucia are a couple, players should split from their in-game accomplice. That's likely indicated by the two-people icon.

In "GTA 6" there has to be a witness to your crimes in order for the authorities to be alerted. As Rob Nelson told IGN, "The Wanted system in 'GTA 6' requires that someone witness the crime, or an alarm needs to be set off for it to be reported to the law." "GTA 6" introduces a new mechanic whereby if you're wanted in a specific area, you will see your wanted level shoot back up when you return to that area. Players can wait until the heat dies down, alter their appearance, or split from their accomplice in order to try to lower the wanted level.

"GTA 6" also introduces a new "hollow" wanted star to indicate that police have no information on you whatsoever but are aware a crime has taken place. That will very much depend on where you commit that crime and what type of crime it is. Shooting someone in front of CCTV, for example, will land you in deep trouble. If you refrain from causing anyone any harm, however, your wanted level will be lower than it would be for a violent crime.

Otherwise, Rockstar has also added a controversial real-life trend to "GTA 6" in the form of live-streamers, who seem to be a significant part of the new game. Whether their live-streaming will affect the cops' ability to pinpoint your character's location remains unclear, but it is something to keep an eye on.