Gamers are currently going through their longest wait between Grand Theft Auto games ever. The last new mainline GTA game to be released was Grand Theft Auto 5 in 2013, and while it has been lauded for its stunning detail and limitless freedom it provides players as they adventure throughout Los Santos, many feel like the game has had much too long of a lifespan, and that it is time for a successor. Fortunately, Rockstar is not planning on milking GTA 5 forever, and it has confirmed that the next GTA game, which is presumably titled Grand Theft Auto 6, is in development.
At this point, close to nothing is known about the game, though that has not stopped Grand Theft Auto 6 rumors and speculation from flowing freely. Gamers have voiced their hopes for the upcoming game, including wishes for a female protagonist, a smarter police system, and the return of beloved characters such as Franklin. However, perhaps the best feature the game could add is the ability to genuinely climb up the ranks of the criminal underworld and become the top dog of the city.
Progression in Past Grand Theft Auto Games
Although the GTA series is mostly known for its open-world freedom that lets players create their own fun, the games have also featured plots that made surprisingly poignant commentary on contemporary society as well as the human condition. Through the plots, a framework is given for gamers to progress and figure out how they are going to climb from rags to riches. While the stories from past Grand Theft Auto games have all featured protagonists who make their way through life via crime, there has been very little ability to genuinely climb the ranks of the criminal underworld, and the few examples that do exist are quite outdated.
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, players take control of Carl Johnson who returns to his hometown and attempts to restore Grove Street Families, the neighborhood gang that has fallen from grace. While dealing with enemy gangs and corrupt police, players slowly grow the strength of their gang by tagging turf with graffiti and engaging in gang warfare to take over territory. Although it is great to grow the gang's power, the gang warfare often feels disconnected from the rest of the criminal underworld, and there is no sense that CJ ever truly becomes king of the city.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released in 2002, and it is set in a city inspired by '80s Miami along with the crime movies it birthed, including Miami Vice, The Godfather, and Scarface. Vice City is revisited with GTA: Vice City Stories which was released in 2006, and this time instead of Tommy Vercetti, gamers play as Vic. The game features empire-building, which Vic can engage in by running businesses that act as fronts for illegal activities. Mimicking GTA: San Andreas and its gang warfare, rivals in GTA: Vice City Stories can attack Vic's property, and they will be seized if they are not protected. While it is impressive, its improvement over GTA: San Andreas' gang warfare is minimal, and it feels like Rockstar could still go much further with it.
Perhaps the best way to get the feeling of conquering the criminal underworld in GTA is to play GTA: Online. Thanks to the Executives and Other Criminals update, players can run their own criminal organization, and they can even have bodyguards to protect them. With GTA 6, Rockstar should learn a lot from GTA: Online, as well as from other games with progression systems, and add a crime twist.
How GTA 6 Can Let Players Conquer the Criminal Underworld
With GTA 6, Rockstar has the opportunity finally let players truly conquer the criminal underworld, and with the technology of current-generation gaming, it can be more realistic than ever, and scratch that criminal empire-building itch better than before. Rockstar Games should learn from its past GTA games and implement features such as claiming and defending territory, seizing power from other gangs, and running legitimate businesses as a front for illegal dealings. However, it should not stop there.
Rockstar should also let players get into the nitty-gritty of empire building in the next GTA game. The fun of getting into gun fights to seize territory should not be the end for gamers; they should also be able to micromanage the finances of their empire, decide what fields of crime to specialize in, and how to protect their criminal dynasty. Gamers should also get to decide how they deal with rivals and the police. While violence may be the obvious answer, perhaps bribing the police may be a less messy solution, or simply absorbing rival gangs into one's own. Through features such as these, the empire-building process would feel less like a scripted event and more like an organic process of climbing the criminal underworld.
It is important that GTA 6 put its best foot forward when it comes to letting players climb the criminal underworld because, by the time it launches, it will have plenty of competition to go up against. This includes the upcoming Saints Row reboot where players will attempt to take control of Santo Ileso, a city in the grips of three criminal gangs. Players will have to take control of the nine districts of Santo Ileso and set up illegal businesses to fund their gang if they wish to topple their rivals and become the top dogs of the city. If its ideas are executed correctly, Saints Row has the potential to set the bar high, which is something GTA 6 will have to contend with.
Currently, Rockstar has given gamers no indication as to when they can expect the next entry in the GTA series to release. Hopefully, developers are hard at work crafting a title that will provide the classic lawless fun gamers have come to expect from the GTA franchise. However, if Rockstar wishes to elevate things further, it should take some inspiration from Saints Row, and focus on criminal empire-building and climbing the ranks of the criminal underworld.
The next Grand Theft Auto game is currently in development.