GTA 6 Has A Point Of No Return For Players Who Take Crime Too Far

Grand Theft Auto 6 is looking to add some extra wrinkles to several of its established gameplay pillars, but the biggest update here might just be the inclusion of an honor system. Taking a page from Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 6 will remind you that actions have consequences, as your less-than-legal activities will feed into a criminal profile that evolves with you. Not only are there various profiles within this that gauge just how effective you are at crime–or bloodthirsty–but developer Rockstar Games will let you break it entirely if you cause too much chaos.

“There’s no right or wrong way to play the game,” GTA 6 co-head of development Rob Nelson said to YouTuber TGG. “Just a bit more choice now. How do you want to play this game if your actions may have some impact on things? You can still cause as much chaos as you want if that’s what you want to do. I don’t think it changes what GTA is. It changes what it can be for people who want to engage with it in that way. You still have as much freedom as you had before; you can just do more now, and you have more choice in terms of how you approach situations.”

At the highest level, players can have a criminal record that labels them as a “Professional,” and from there, the states descend into Aggressive, Violent, and Psycho. Reaching the fifth, currently unnamed state, is said to be particularly tough, but once you do, there’s no return from a full descent into villainy. The idea is that players will have the freedom to alternate between criminal profiles or replay the game while aiming to align with those particular states.

Players can also disable notifications about their profile status changing, and the co-protagonists Jason and Lucia will each have their own profile that changes throughout the course of the game depending on the actions you take with them.

How these states ultimately influence the story of GTA 6 has yet to be revealed, but we’d wager that being a homicidal loose cannon probably won’t end well by the time that the end credits roll.

GTA 6 will include several other features designed to heighten the game’s sense of realism. Non-playable characters will notice if you’re carrying weapons out in public, cars require more finesse to steal, and yes, you can throw dog poop at people. At the same time, Rockstar has also removed one of the worst legacy features from GTA 6, as you’ll no longer need to wear your thumb out when you’re outrunning cops by mashing a single button.