Focus meter
A meter in the top-left that, once used, slows time for finishers and can reveal nearby objects and useful details. It also helps players stay out of the police’s path.
ConfirmedGTA 6 gameplay: every confirmed mechanic
14 mechanics shown in Rockstar's "An Extended Look", the ~26-minute gameplay special captured in-game on a base PlayStation 5.
How does GTA 6 actually play?
GTA 6 builds on Red Dead Redemption 2's systems with a new Focus mechanic at the centre. Focus is a meter that slows time for finishing moves, highlights enemy weak zones, reveals nearby objects, and helps you avoid police attention.
The two protagonists share one bank account and one arsenal, your AI partner actually fights, and the wanted system now stays partly active while you escape quietly rather than simply timing out.
Combat & Focus
4 confirmedSlow-motion finishers
Triggering Focus slows the action and surfaces enemy weak zones.
ConfirmedQuick-time events
At least one fight uses a QTE prompt — and it offers a choice of which button to press, implying branching outcomes.
ConfirmedGrounded gunplay
Rockstar describes combat as a serious step up from GTA 5 — closer to Red Dead Redemption 2 with a dash of Max Payne 3. Cover, slow-mo finishes and weapons you can pick up off the ground.
ConfirmedTwo protagonists
5 confirmedPartner AI pulls its weight
The character you are not controlling fights alongside you rather than standing idle.
ConfirmedOne bank account, one arsenal
Money and weapons are shared between Jason and Lucia across heists.
ConfirmedPick your role
Some missions let you choose to drive or shoot, with your partner taking the other job.
ConfirmedA shared safehouse
Jason and Lucia use the same safehouse as their home base.
ConfirmedRelationship plays out in gameplay
Rockstar says the relationship develops during ordinary play and exploration, not only in cutscenes.
ConfirmedPolice & wanted system
2 confirmedSuggested getaway routes
Some pursuits point toward the most effective escape path. You are free to ignore it and find your own.
ConfirmedWanted level while incognito
The wanted meter stays partly active while you escape quietly — sirens remain audible as you try not to draw more attention.
ConfirmedWorld & NPCs
3 confirmedExpanded NPC interaction
Greet, taunt, provoke or defuse NPCs using an expanded version of the Red Dead Redemption 2 interaction system.
ConfirmedSize-aware animation
Animations adjust dynamically to an NPC’s body size so characters interact more naturally with objects and people.
ConfirmedExploration-first pacing
Rather than pushing you to the next objective, the campaign encourages spending time discovering Leonida.
ConfirmedWhere these details come from
Everything on this page traces back to "An Extended Look", released in August 2026. Two things make it unusually reliable as a source: it ran just under half an hour, and Rockstar confirmed it was captured in-game on a base PlayStation 5 rather than a development kit or a high-end PC.
That matters because pre-release footage is often captured on hardware no player owns. Here, what you saw is what the baseline console produces.
What is not on this page: anything from the 2022 leaks, anything about an online mode (Rockstar has not announced one), and the specifics of mission structure beyond the role-choice system shown in the video.
Related: the Leonida map for where these systems play out,
the characters you switch between, and
every trailer including the Extended Look itself.
Gameplay questions
How does switching between Jason and Lucia work?
The two protagonists share one bank account and one arsenal. The partner you are not controlling fights alongside you rather than standing idle, and some missions let you choose whether to drive or shoot while your partner takes the other role.
What is the Focus mechanic in GTA 6?
Focus is a meter shown in the top-left of the HUD. Spending it slows time for finishing moves and highlights enemy weak zones. It can also reveal nearby objects and useful details, and makes it easier to stay out of the police’s path.