GTA 6 tips for your first hours: how wanted levels, masks and outfits work, stealing cars, money and settings. Each tip gets tested from launch day.
The most useful GTA 6 tip before launch is about the police: they now come only when a crime is seen or an alarm goes off, and they track your face, your outfit and your car, so changing those three things matters more than outrunning them. Everything below comes from what Rockstar North showed IGN and Game Informer, not from our own play yet. GTA 6 is out on November 19, 2026, and we mark each tip as checked once we have tried it.
Staying out of trouble
- Commit crimes out of sight. A wanted level only starts when someone witnesses the crime or an alarm is triggered (IGN).
- Read the stars. Six stars are back after GTA 5's five. Hollow stars mean police know a crime happened but not who did it, so walk away calmly instead of speeding off. One full star is easy to lose (Polygon).
- Change the right thing. Icons under the stars show what police know. New hair clears your appearance, a whole new outfit clears your clothes (a hat or glasses isn't enough), and a different car clears the vehicle (IGN).
- Keep a spare outfit and a gun in your car's trunk, and wear a mask for a job. Taking it off as you leave keeps your description out of the report, even on CCTV.
- At three stars or more in the city, leave the car. The streets are narrow and busy, and Rockstar points you to alleys on foot.
- Split up if police are looking for a couple, and one of you takes the heat. Your partner texts once the coast is clear.
Getting around and getting along
You can switch between Jason and Lucia in the open world at any time, though the story locks switching at some points. Either can call or text the other to come and help. Their relationship grows from time spent together outside missions, such as shopping, the gym, salons and robberies, and ignoring your partner's texts can hurt it (IGN).
For long trips, the Ryde Me app is GTA 6's fast travel, a shared ride where you can talk to the other passengers. The new Focus system highlights useful items and helps you avoid police, so learn its button early.
Money and your first purchases
Some main missions wait until you have saved enough cash, so earn as you go. Scan cars with the WAINK app before stealing them, deliver them undamaged to a fence, and see our money guide for every method Rockstar has shown. Clothing stores and salons each stock exclusive items, so it pays to visit more than one (Polygon).
Your body and your health
Eating restores a lot of health, which makes a snack before a big job worthwhile, but overeating adds weight. The gym builds muscle and strength (IGN). Both change how Jason and Lucia look, so they are as much a style choice as a stat.
What we'll add at launch
- The settings worth changing first on PS5 and Xbox, once we can see the menus.
- Which of these tips hold up in the released game, each marked as checked or corrected.
- The first missable items, so you don't lose them in the opening hours. They also go on the 100% checklist.
The habits we'd unlearn from GTA 5
Our take: the biggest adjustment for GTA 5 veterans won't be the map, it will be the police. In GTA 5 the usual answer to a wanted level was to break line of sight and put distance between you and the police; in GTA 6, going by IGN's report on Rockstar North's live demo, police respond to what someone saw and track what you look like, what you wear and what you drive. That rewards planning over speed, and it's why our first tip is the least exciting one: keep a spare outfit in your car's trunk. The second is patience with money, because some main missions wait until you've raised enough cash. And the third is to spend time with Lucia or Jason outside missions, since IGN reports their relationship grows that way and the story path alone may not leave room for it. Everything below comes from previews, not from our own play, so we'll confirm or correct each tip after November 19.
What changes if you're coming from GTA 5
| GTA 5 | GTA 6, from previews | |
|---|---|---|
| Top wanted level | Five stars | Six stars, back after GTA 5 dropped to five |
| Switching leads | Any time, between three | Any time, between two, locked at some story moments |
| Your phone | A menu in the corner of the screen | An object in Jason's or Lucia's hand |
| Snapmatic | Post your own photos | Browse only: the couple avoid a digital footprint |
| Fast travel | Taxis | Ryde Me, a shared ride with other passengers |
| Safehouses | Traditional houses | Closer to Red Dead Redemption 2's camps, with visitors |
| Money and the story | Mattered less, by Rockstar's own account | Some main missions wait for cash |
From IGN's 69 gameplay details and its Game Informer roundup, which compare each point with GTA 5 or Red Dead Redemption 2. None of it is checked in the released game yet.
The pattern across that table is that GTA 6 borrows Red Dead Redemption 2's slower, more physical habits (fences, camps, a phone you hold, a cinematic kill camera) and puts them inside a GTA crime loop. If you played Red Dead, a lot of this will feel familiar faster than it will to someone coming straight from GTA 5.
Sources for this section (2)
Questions people ask
How does the wanted level work in GTA 6?
A crime has to be seen by someone or set off an alarm before police come. Stars go up to six again, hollow stars mean police don't know your face yet, and icons under the stars show whether they know your look, your outfit or your car.
How do you lose the police in GTA 6?
Change what they know. IGN reports that a new hairstyle clears your appearance, a whole new outfit clears your clothing and a different car clears your vehicle. At three stars or more in the city, Rockstar suggests leaving the car and escaping through alleys on foot.
Can you fast travel in GTA 6?
Yes. Ryde Me is a ride-share app that takes you across the map, and you can talk to other passengers on the way. Jason or Lucia can also drive while you ride along.
Should I play as Jason or Lucia?
Both. You can switch between them in the open world at any time, except at some story moments, and either can call the other over to help. Time spent together outside missions decides how close they get.
Sources
- We Saw GTA 6 at Rockstar HQ: 69 Gameplay Details (IGN) (Aug 27, 2026)
- GTA 6: All the Major New Details Revealed Today (IGN, on the Game Informer cover story) (Sep 29, 2026)
- 5 Key New GTA 6 Details Just Unveiled By Rockstar Games (Polygon) (Oct 7, 2026)
- GTA 6 Wanted Level Explained and Police System Guide (GTABase) (Oct 4, 2026)
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