Summary
Grand Theft Auto 6will continue the long-running franchise’s tradition of cinematic storytelling, satirical world-building, and quirky side activities, but there’s one series convention that is ripe for improvement: car customization.GTA 6will hopefully update driving mechanicsin a number of different ways, and this could be buttressed by expanding the personalization options on offer in previous games.
Car customization in theGTAfranchise kicked off with the release ofGTA: San Andreas, which allows players to repaint their cars, get fresh rims and even install hydraulic suspension kits on certain models. Unfortunately, Rockstar took a major step back in this area inGTA 4, which doesn’t feature any degree of car customization. InGTA 5, however, players would once again get a chance to personalize their vehicles, this time with even more options thanSan Andreas. Given how well players have responded to car customization inGTA 5andSan Andreas, and how many lamented the feature’s absence inGTA 4, it’s almost certain thatGTA 6will bring it back in some way.
GTA 6’s Vice Cityis based on real-world Miami, which has a bustling car scene, just likeL.A., which inspired the setting ofSan AndreasandGTA 5.
How GTA 6 Can Offer Series-Best Car Customization
GTA 6 Can’t Be Afraid to Let Players Experiment
GTA 5may have offered a wider variety of car customization options when compared toSan Andreas, but the selection was a bit more tame and grounded. InGTA 5’s story mode, at least, cars can’t be fitted with hydraulic suspension, nor is there an option for bass-boosting, both of which were some of the more memorable customization features inSan Andreas.
IfGTA 6wants to go all out with car features, it should not only bring these more transformative customization options back but also push their limits. For example, instead of only allowing players to put hydraulics on lowrider vehicles,GTA 6could allow this type of suspension on every type of car, opening the door to ridiculous and impractical creations.
This level of freedom could make for some memorable and unique custom creations, but if this design philosophy were also applied to automotive performance, it could lead to greater gameplay depth. Installing new car components inGTA 6could be a more involved process than the linearupgrade path ofGTA 5’s car customizationif, for example, players have to take into consideration factors such as weight or power consumption. This would allow for a satisfying customization system that rewards experimentation, forethought, and ingenuity, encouraging players to carefully tweak their automotive builds for optimal acceleration, handling, and top speed.
Modernizing Car Customization in GTA 6
Car technology has changed quite a bit sinceGTA 5was developed, with many modern vehicles boasting advanced features like lane assistance, automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, and even completely automated driving, in some cases.GTA 6will engage in the social commentarythat the franchise is known for, and there’s certainly comedic potential in these technological innovations and their impact on car culture.
Perhaps players could choose to ‘improve’ a classic car, fitting it out with all manner of modern conveniences, making a sort of automotive Frankenstein’s monster. This dichotomy between traditional and contemporary would also be a good opportunity to introduce an option for a manual transmission.
There are a lot of ways thatGTA 6can reach its full potential, and while improved car customization perhaps isn’t the most important factor for the game’s success, it would be welcomed by many players. Looking back on how the series has handled this feature before while taking more ambitious steps could helpGrand Theft Auto 6achieve genre-defining personalization options.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
