Rockstar has finally given a sense of just how big Grand Theft Auto VI is. In an exclusive Edge magazine cover story, the studio says, according to GamesRadar+, that the game's total land mass is almost as large as the playable maps of GTA IV, GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 combined. The same feature digs into GTA VI's Criminal Profile, a behaviour system that rates Jason and Lucia somewhere between Professional and Irredeemable.
We haven't been able to read the Edge feature itself, so the details here come from how GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer report it, credited to each outlet below.
Almost three maps' worth
According to GamesRadar+, Rockstar told Edge that the total land mass, counting Vice City and the areas around it, is almost as big as those three earlier games' playable maps put together.
Rockstar also talked up how much is packed into that space. GamesRadar+ reports that Aaron Garbut, head of development and co-studio lead, told Edge the game has "an order of magnitude more interiors" than older Grand Theft Auto games, GTA V included.
"Every back alley is as densely detailed and interesting as the others," Garbut said, as quoted by GamesRadar+. "You can go anywhere, any random location, and so many people have thought about that location." GamesRadar+ adds that Garbut says he's still discovering places he's never seen after years of exploring the game himself.
Your Criminal Profile, from angel to devil
The other big reveal is about how you play. PC Gamer reports that Rob Nelson, Rockstar North's co-studio head and head of development, went into detail on GTA VI's Criminal Profile in his Edge interview.
Per PC Gamer, the Criminal Profile tracks your actions as Lucia and Jason on a scale from Professional to Irredeemable, shown with angel and devil icons. PC Gamer describes it as a souped-up take on the morality system from Red Dead Redemption 2, and says fights don't always have to end in a death: a professional criminal might incapacitate an opponent, or try intimidation or bribery first.
It isn't just cosmetic. PC Gamer reports that Rockstar has confirmed your Criminal Profile will affect how the story plays out, so anyone chasing a particular storyline will want to keep an eye on it.
"There isn't a right or wrong way to play this game, but consistent actions may have an impact in terms of how the world reacts to you and how the narrative plays out," Nelson said, as quoted by PC Gamer. The outlet adds that Nelson explained small acts of kindness can help redeem you.
When you can see it for yourself
GamesRadar+ notes that GTA VI releases next month, so players won't have long to wait to see both the map and the Criminal Profile for themselves.
Jax's take: The map stat will grab the headlines, and the interiors line is the bit I'd watch: a huge map full of locked doors is just scenery. But the Criminal Profile is the bigger deal for how GTA VI actually plays. Rockstar saying there's no right or wrong way to play while also tying the story to your behaviour is a promise worth holding it to. If the Professional path is a genuinely different way through the game, not just a nicer badge, that's the feature people will still be arguing about months after launch.
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