RAGE 9
GTA VI runs on RAGE 9 (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine), the latest iteration of Rockstar's proprietary engine. RAGE has powered every Rockstar game since GTA IV. Each version has been a significant upgrade, and the jump to RAGE 9 is no exception. The engine handles the rendering, physics, AI, streaming, and networking for the entire Leonida open world.
No generative AI in world building
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick addressed the topic of AI directly: "Specifically with regards to GTA 6, Generative AI has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building. Their worlds are handcrafted. That's what differentiates them."
He elaborated further: the worlds are "built from the ground up, building by building, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood. They're not procedurally generated." Some limited procedural generation is used for asset-level detail like individual objects, but the world layout, architecture, and environment design are all done by hand.
Rendering
GTA VI is the first game in the series to use physically simulated light. The rendering stack includes:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Physically Based Rendering (PBR) | Materials react to light the way real surfaces do. Metal looks like metal. Wet asphalt reflects differently than dry asphalt. |
Ray-traced global illumination -- Light bounces realistically between surfaces, creating natural indirect lighting. | -- |
Ray-traced reflections -- Accurate reflections on glass, water, car paint, and other reflective surfaces. | -- |
Up to 16K textures | Extremely high-resolution surface detail on key objects and environments. |
Parallax mapping | Used for building interiors visible through windows. Creates the illusion of depth without rendering full 3D rooms for every window. |
Volumetric clouds | Physically modeled cloud formations that react to time of day and weather conditions. |
Physics and simulation
Strand-based hair physics -- Individual hair strands are simulated. A big upgrade over the rigid hair models in previous GTA games.
Real-time water simulation -- Water surfaces react physically to boats, weather, and environment. Waves, ripples, and currents are simulated rather than pre-baked.
Vehicle deformations -- Higher polygon counts on vehicles allow for more detailed crash damage. Panels crumple, bumpers detach, and hoods buckle in more realistic ways than GTA V.
Wind affecting handling -- Wind is a physics factor that affects how vehicles drive. High-speed driving in storms or exposed areas changes the handling model.
Weather system
Lightning, rain, and fog all change lighting, visibility, and physics in real time. Driving in rain is different from driving on dry roads. Fog reduces visibility. Lightning illuminates the scene dynamically. The weather system ties into the Vice City setting -- Florida is known for sudden afternoon thunderstorms, and the game appears to replicate that.
Hurricanes and tornadoes were reportedly planned at one point and then scrapped, but this has not been confirmed by Rockstar. The current weather system is already more advanced than anything in a previous GTA game.
NPC technology
The NPCs across Leonida use a range of new tech:
Detailed skin meshes with sub-surface scattering for realistic skin rendering
Physically-based clothing that moves and drapes naturally
Realistic daily routines -- NPCs go to work, eat, and respond to time of day
Weather-reactive behavior -- NPCs take shelter in rain, dress differently in heat
Time-of-day behavior changes -- different activities during day versus night
The NPC population density in Vice City is noticeably higher than in GTA V's Los Santos. Sidewalks are busier, cars fill the roads, and the general sense of a living city is stronger. How this holds up on base PS5 and Xbox Series S hardware versus the X models remains to be seen at launch.