Considering the half a decade gap between Rockstar Games' release of Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, fans will be expecting Grand Theft Auto 6 to carry over many of the cowboy classic's elements. Despite there being no reveals whatsoever of the upcoming title from Rockstar Games, its leak in late 2022 revealed the game's two main characters and also showcased gameplay elements and animations that appear to be built off the back of Red Dead Redemption 2.
While fans await any news surrounding its release and legitimate reveals of a story or gameplay trailer, there are a lot of implementations the next Grand Theft Auto installment could benefit from based on Rockstar Games' 2018 Red Dead Redemption 2 hit.
5 Free Roam Robberies
One of the biggest successes in Red Dead Redemption 2 was the ability for players to not only perform robberies and heists more often during missions but during free roam too. From ammunition stores, clothing stores, fences, and random NPCs, players who were more likely on the path of low honor could rob characters at gunpoint and even use threatening tactics in the midst of it all. This was one of the vital aspects in capturing the era of the Wild West and the manner in which these heists and robberies would play out.
Despite the Grand Theft Auto 6 leak revealing a segment that includes a restaurant robbery, it is unclear whether this would be story related or an option for players to commit to outside main missions. The inclusion of this feature would be incredibly impactful in terms of the level of realism and could be done to an ever greater length compared to Red Dead Redemption 2 given the drastic difference in the games' time periods.
4 Wanted System (But Less Intense)
As mentioned before, Red Dead Redemption 2's wanted system while very pleasing and engaging to see, issues could sometimes hamper and damage players' immersion. When committing a crime well away from public eyes, players could sometimes have the 'Wanted' alert show up with the officers spawning very closely shortly after. Whether it is this or slightly bumping into another NPC resulting in an instant hunt from officers, it is often too intense to deal with.
While Grand Theft Auto 6 must definitely borrow this feature from Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games must fine-tune this so that small offenses do not result in a manhunt or crimes committed that are not out in the open for other NPCs to witness are somehow reported to police officers. Seeing a feature adjusted accurately and used in the next GTA title would instantly push the experience up to a new level entirely.
3 Character Necessities
In terms of pure realism, Rockstar Games' developers took Red Dead Redemption 2 up a notch in comparison to all of their prior titles. Depending on how players treat their character Arthur Morgan in terms of his eating, sleeping, cleaning, and basic needs as a human, it could turn out either positive or negative. If players eat too much with Arthur, his weight will increase which in turn will decrease stamina and sprinting speed with the same principles applying to other health necessities.
As Grand Theft Auto 6 will be set in a modern world like the rest of the games in the franchise, there is a chance that developers could use this to a greater extent and double down on basic needs for players' characters. This could even welcome back the gym that has been missing from the franchise ever since Grand Theft Autio: San Andreas and all of the other stat-related levels.
2 NPC Unique Interactions
While Grand Theft Auto 5 started off with the special interactions between main characters and random NPCs, there is a night and day difference compared to its execution in Red Dead Redemption 2. Players using Micheal, Franklin, or Trevor could converse with NPCs whenever they chose to and could sometimes stumble across NPC events, but these were very rare. In Red Dead Redemption 2, there is a constant chance that players will be met an event happening while free roaming, and there is a huge variation within them to keep these experiences feeling fresh through every playthrough.
As it is expected that Grand Theft Auto 6 will feature an even bigger open world with an increased population, this is one of the most important factors when it comes down to its potential success, as this is what enabled Red Dead Redemption 2's high praise. With more activities to take part in, more NPCs, and a greater level of liveliness in the game being set in a modern world compared to the Wild West, Rockstar Games could create the most impressive open-world experience yet with this feature.
1 Honor System
Despite it remaining subjective as to whether this addition should impact the game's ending or not, the implementation of the honor system in Red Dead Redemption 2 could make Grand Theft Auto 6 the best in the franchise.
Considering the entire premise of Grand Theft Auto games, some would argue that an honor system would not fit but if Rockstar Games managed to execute this well in Red Dead Redemption 2, the same certainly be replicated here. It will add another layer to players' experience attempting to balance out their honor between high and low given the circumstances of what the activities within the game would likely entail.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently in development.