Glass Physics
An overview of Grand Theft Auto VI's next-generation procedural breakable glass system, which calculates glass damage in real time rather than relying on pre-built shatter animations. A dedicated Rockstar Games graphics programmer spent over three years developing the technology.
On This Page
Overview
Grand Theft Auto VI has a next-generation procedural breakable glass system for vehiclesworld props. Unlike the pre-built shatter animations used in previous Rockstar titles such as GTA VRed Dead Redemption 2, this system calculates glass breakage in real time based on the force, angle, and point of impact. Each interaction produces a unique result, meaning no two breaks look the same.
The system was revealed through a former Rockstar Games graphics programmer's LinkedIn profile, which described their work as: "Took lead on the next generation procedural breakable glass system for vehicles and props." The employee worked at Rockstar from February 2020 to April 2023, dedicating over three years to this single feature. After screenshots of the profile were shared across community discussion and gaming forums, all direct references to GTA VI and the glass system were scrubbed from the page, further suggesting the information was authentic.
How it Works
Traditional glass-breaking effects in video games rely on a library of pre-made shatter patterns. When a bullet or object strikes glass, the game selects from a limited set of animations that play out the same way every time. This approach is computationally cheap but produces repetitive, predictable results.
The procedural system in GTA VI replaces this with real-time calculation. When glass is struck, the engine evaluates several factors to determine how the material responds.
Factor | Effect on Breakage |
|---|---|
Impact force | Determines whether the glass cracks, chips, or shatters completely |
Angle of impact | Affects the direction and spread of fracture lines |
Point of contact | Hitting the center versus the edge produces different shatter patterns |
Glass type | Vehicle windshields, shop windows, and smaller props may each have distinct material properties |
Projectile type | Bullets, melee weapons, and thrown objects may each generate different fracture results |
This procedural approach is more demanding on hardware than pre-baked animations, but it produces results that feel organic and unpredictable. The system is made possible by the power of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles, which provide the computational headroom needed for real-time physics calculations of this complexity.
Applications
Vehicles
Vehicle glass is one of the primary shows for the system. Windshields, side windows, and rear glass on cars can crack and break in patterns determined by gunfire, collisions, and environmental impacts. A single bullet hole in a windshield will produce a realistic web of fracture lines radiating outward from the point of impact, while a high-speed collision might cause an entire window to cave inward.
World Props
Beyond vehicles, the system also applies to glass objects found throughout the open world. Shop windows, glass doors, display cases, bottles, and other breakable props all use procedural breakage. This means that during robberies and combat encountersthe destruction players cause to their environment will feel varied and responsive rather than canned.
Comparison to Previous GTA Titles
Feature | GTA V (2013) | GTA VI |
|---|---|---|
Breakage method | Pre-built shatter animations | Real-time procedural calculation |
Variation | Limited set of break patterns | Unique result per interaction |
Factors considered | Basic hit detection | Force, angle, point of contact, material type |
Vehicle glass | Windshield bullet holes with fixed patterns | Dynamic fracture lines based on projectile and speed |
World props | Simple break or no-break states | Graduated damage from cracks to full shattering |
Development Significance
The fact that Rockstar assigned a lead graphics programmer to work on glass physics for over three years reflects the studio's technical ambition for GTA VI. In most game development pipelines, glass breakage is handled as a secondary visual effect rather than a dedicated engineering project. Rockstar's decision to build an entire procedural system for a single material type suggests a broader focus on environmental detail and destruction physics across the game.
The system is built on the RAGE engineRockstar's proprietary game engine, which has been heavily updated for the current console generation. Glass physics is one of several technical improvements that collectively aim to make GTA VI's world feel more physically responsive than any previous open-world game.