Rockstar Games dropped a 26-minute GTA VI gameplay preview this week and there is a lot to process. This being Car and Driver, we’re skipping straight to the GTA VI cars and driving mechanics — because what Rockstar showed is genuinely impressive and occasionally surprising.
GTA VI releases November 19 on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
Blinkers. Actual Working Blinkers.
Anyone who spent time in GTA V carefully obeying traffic laws knows the single most infuriating limitation of that experience — you couldn’t use turn signals without mods. Just a small immersion-breaking detail that nagged at anyone trying to play the game like a real person behind the wheel.
GTA VI fixes it. In the gameplay preview Jason pulls the Ubermacht Sentinel Classic — a BMW E30-looking convertible — out of a parking lot and onto the road. As he turns right the blinker flips on and cancels automatically as the wheel straightens. Whether the player pressed a button or the game detected the turning direction and triggered the signal automatically isn’t clear yet. Either way — blinkers exist in GTA VI and that matters more than it sounds.
The Sentinel Classic itself is worth noting. Convertible roof lowering isn’t new for GTA but the specific driver animation — Jason reaching up to press a button that drops the top — is a level of detail that makes the world feel inhabited rather than simulated. Small animation. Big impact on immersion.
The Physics Feel Different — In a Good Way
GTA IV had what players called jelly suspension — bodies pitched and rolled dramatically, vehicles felt genuinely heavy and top-heavy in ways that made driving feel consequential. GTA V dialed that back significantly in favor of more arcade-friendly handling. GTA VI appears to sit somewhere between the two.
Bodies pitch and roll more dramatically than GTA V but less wildly than GTA IV. The happy middle ground the original article describes seems accurate from what the preview shows.
The police chase sequence makes the physics difference clearest. Lucia is driving a Benefactor Shafter — the GTA VI version of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class — while Jason hangs out the back window shooting at pursuing police cruisers. When bullets pop the front tires of the police vehicles they roll over. Not occasionally. More often than not.
That rollover behavior wasn’t common in GTA V physics. The theory: GTA VI vehicles are simply more top-heavy than their GTA V counterparts. Pop a front tire at speed and the weight distribution does the rest. Practical implication for players — be careful hitting curbs at speed in Vice City.
GTA VI Car Interiors Are on Another Level
The alley sequence where Lucia finds cover gives the first real close look at GTA VI car interiors and the step up from GTA V is significant. The original GTA V launched on Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013 with interiors that were — charitably — functional. Leather seats looked flat. Dashboards had minimal detail.
GTA VI car interiors in the preview show high-fidelity leather texture with visible stitching. Dashboard illumination with detailed speedometer readings. Radio display. Climate controls visible and readable. A glove box cutout. These aren’t decorative details that blur past at driving speed — they’re visible and specific when the camera gets close.
For players who spend time inside vehicles in GTA — first-person mode drivers, people who actually use their cars as cars rather than weapons — this is a meaningful upgrade that changes how the game feels moment to moment.
The Racetrack Nobody Expected
Five seconds of footage. That’s all the preview showed of what appears to be a legitimate racing circuit somewhere on the GTA VI map. But five seconds was enough to confirm several things.
Proper curbing. Catch fences. A pit lane. A pull-off to the right that likely leads to pit entry as the player crests a hill. This isn’t a makeshift street circuit or an oval — it looks like a real permanent racing facility built into the game world.
The HUD during the racing sequence shows a lap counter, position indicator and lap timer. What it doesn’t show is a suggested racing line like Forza or Gran Turismo, a best lap time display, a live leaderboard or a time delta to the car ahead. For casual players that’s probably fine. For anyone who takes virtual racing seriously those missing HUD elements are the difference between a racing game and a racing minigame.
Whether the racetrack supports full race events with competitive AI, time trials or just free-roam lapping remains to be seen. Five seconds of footage confirms the circuit exists. What you can actually do there waits for November.
Stealing Cars Just Got More Interesting
Before any of the driving, the preview shows something new — the car theft mechanic has an actual choice built into it now. In GTA V stealing a car was a single action. In GTA VI players can choose between slim jim — reaching between the window and door panel to pop the lock — or smash window — the traditional approach.
Jason chooses the slim jim method and notably waits until a passing tow truck moves out of sight before attempting it. That pedestrian awareness detail — a character reacting to nearby witnesses before committing a crime — suggests GTA VI’s world is paying attention to what’s around the player in ways GTA V didn’t always bother with.
GTA VI Cars and Driving — Key Details From the Preview
| Detail | What Was Shown |
|---|---|
| Turn signals | Working blinkers confirmed — auto or manual unclear |
| Convertible animation | Driver animation for roof operation |
| Car theft mechanic | Slim jim or smash window choice |
| Driving physics | More body roll than GTA V, less than GTA IV |
| Tire damage | Front tire blowouts cause rollovers |
| Car interiors | High-fidelity leather, dashboard illumination, climate controls visible |
| Racing circuit | Permanent track with curbing, catch fences and pit lane |
| Racing HUD | Lap counter, position, timer — no racing line or time delta |
| Featured GTA VI cars | Ubermacht Sentinel Classic, Benefactor Shafter |
| Release date | November 19 — Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 |
Frequently Asked Questions About GTA VI Cars and Driving
Do GTA VI cars have working turn signals?
Yes. The gameplay preview shows a blinker activating and canceling automatically during a right turn. Whether players manually activate signals or the game detects turning direction and triggers them automatically isn’t confirmed yet. Either way working turn signals exist in GTA VI — something GTA V couldn’t do without mods.
How do GTA VI driving physics compare to GTA V?
More dramatic body roll and weight transfer than GTA V — closer to GTA IV’s heavier feeling without going full jelly suspension. Vehicles appear more top-heavy based on the rollover behavior shown in the police chase sequence. Front tire blowouts at speed cause rollovers more consistently than GTA V physics allowed.
What are GTA VI car interiors like?
The jump is obvious. Leather texture with real stitching. Dashboard illumination showing actual speedometer readings, radio display and climate controls. A visible glove box cutout. GTA V on Xbox 360 in 2013 had interiors that looked like colored rectangles. GTA VI does not.
Is there a racetrack in GTA VI?
Yes. Five seconds of the preview confirms a permanent racing circuit with proper curbing, catch fences and what appears to be a pit lane entrance. The racing HUD shows lap count, position and lap timer. No suggested racing line or time delta is visible — whether those features appear in the final game isn’t confirmed.
What GTA VI cars appeared in the preview?
The Ubermacht Sentinel Classic — a BMW E30-inspired convertible — and the Benefactor Shafter — a Mercedes-Benz E-Class equivalent — are the most clearly shown. The preview covers 26 minutes of gameplay with significantly more vehicles visible in the background and during driving sequences.
How does car theft work differently in GTA VI?
Players now choose between slim jim — reaching between window and door to pop the lock quietly — or smash window — the traditional forced entry method. Characters also show pedestrian awareness during theft, waiting for bystanders to move out of sight before attempting break-ins. A new layer of decision-making that didn’t exist in GTA V.
When does GTA VI release?
November 19 on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
The GTA VI cars and driving footage answers a question longtime players have had for years — does Rockstar actually care about the driving experience or just the chaos around it. 26 minutes suggests they care. Working blinkers. Driver animations for roof operation. Physics that make rollovers feel earned. Interiors detailed enough to actually look at. A real racetrack. And a car theft system with actual choice built into it. November 19 is the full answer. The preview made a strong case for why that date matters.
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