GTA 6 already showed its true potential: this is what the new gameplay left us with

After more than a decade of waiting, Rockstar finally showed GTA 6 the way it truly wanted us to see it: with over 20 minutes of footage captured directly from the game on PlayStation 5.

And after watching it several times, one thing becomes quite clear: GTA 6 doesn't seem to be merely trying to surpass GTA V. It's trying to make its world feel alive.

Rockstar confirmed that the entire preview was captured with in-game footage, without resorting to pre-rendered scenes. This makes the visual level we're seeing even more impressive.

Realism is probably the most impressive thing

The first thing that stands out is the amount of detail.

The skin, hair, lighting, reflections, clothing, and character animations are at a much higher level than in GTA V. But the interesting thing is not just that GTA 6 looks pretty.

It's that many scenes look like they're straight out of a movie.

From the interiors of buildings to the streets full of pedestrians, Rockstar is trying to give Vice City its own identity. The Verge even highlighted how the preview uses a staging closer to a cinematic production than a traditional video game trailer.

And there are small details that further sell that feeling: people exercising, sunbathing, interacting on the street, driving, entering establishments, or just hanging out.

The world seems to be functioning even when Jason and Lucia aren't on a mission.

The map may be much larger than we imagined

Here's a particularly interesting fact.

After his visit to Rockstar North, El Rubius shared information about the map size, pointing out that it would be considerably larger than many players were expecting.

This information aligns with recent reports about the scale of Leonida, although it's important to differentiate between what Rockstar has officially confirmed and the figures that have circulated from creators' visits.

The company has indeed described GTA 6 as its largest and most immersive open world to date.

And the gameplay helps to understand why.

It doesn't seem like Rockstar created a huge map simply to put miles between one city and another. There are beaches, rural areas, water, roads, urban areas, and different environments that aim to have their own activities.

Sports and activities make Leonida feel like a real place

Another detail I really liked is the number of things you can do when you're not robbing banks or escaping the police.

The footage shows activities like basketball, golf, kayaking, diving, and other recreational activities. It also shows much more everyday moments, such as spending time at home, going out, visiting establishments, or simply exploring the city.

This may seem secondary, but for me, it's one of the keys to GTA 6.

Rockstar seems to understand that an open world doesn't become interesting just by having missions. You also need reasons to stay there.

And then there's the music

Here Rockstar once again demonstrated that it knows exactly what it's doing.

The preview uses songs like "People Are People" by Depeche Mode, "Love Bites" by Def Leppard, "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins, "Pop Bottles" by Birdman and Lil Wayne, and "Pound Town" by Sexyy Red and Tay Keith.

The selection works because it doesn't try to turn the entire presentation into generic action music. There are songs that help build specific moments and give Vice City personality.

And that's very GTA.

My opinion: GTA 6 feels more like a world than a video game

After this preview, what interests me most about GTA 6 isn't the weapons, cars, or chases.

It's everything that happens when you're not doing anything important.

Rockstar seems to have taken what it learned from GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 to build a much more reactive, detailed, and story-filled world.

And if all that level of detail really works when we have control in our hands, GTA 6 could become one of those games where you start a mission and end up three hours later doing anything but what you planned.