Revision 14

Overview

Grand Theft Auto VI has a contextual NPC interaction system. The August 2026 Extended Look showed it on screen: a small context-sensitive menu appears in the lower right of the screen for interacting with characters and animals, and it was used to pet and scold dogs, including a dog Jason stops to play with during the opening mission. The option names and behavior described below, such as Greet, Threaten and Rob, come from pre-release descriptions, much of it based on leaked 2022 footage. Rockstar has not detailed them itself, so they should be read as reported rather than confirmed.

Core Interaction Mechanics

The interaction system operates on a radial prompt that appears when the player approaches an NPC within conversation range. The available options change dynamically depending on several factors: the player's current weapon state, the location (indoor vs. outdoor, public vs. private), the NPC's occupation, and whether any crimes are currently in progress.

Greet

The Greet option starts a friendly exchange with an NPC. Previews of the Extended Look reported that players can greet or taunt the people they meet.

Threaten

Threatening an NPC causes them to react with fear, compliance, or aggression depending on their personality type. Armed NPCs may draw weapons. Unarmed civilians typically flee or comply. Threatening is particularly useful during robbery setups, where intimidation can prevent NPCs from calling the police or attempting to fight back.

Rob

The Rob prompt is available when the player has a weapon drawn and is targeting a civilian or store clerk. Players can demand cash and valuables from individual NPCs on the street or hold up entire businesses. The robbery system ties into the broader economy and criminal progression. Store robberies are confirmed through both trailers: Trailer 1 shows Jason and Lucia robbing Uncle Jack's Liquor and a gas station, while Trailer 2 opens with Jason holding a store clerk at gunpoint.

Hostages and Restraints

Zip-tie restraints, hostages used as human shields, and carrying, dragging or looting bodies are often described as part of this system. Those descriptions trace to leaked 2022 development footage of a diner robbery rather than to Rockstar's official material, so this wiki does not treat them as confirmed.

Dynamic NPC Memory

Rob Nelson has said the police now have a more persistent memory of the player. Rockstar has not said whether residents of a neighborhood remember past trouble or treat the player differently because of it; see NPC Behavior.

Reactions to Weapons

NPC reactions also depend on what the player is visibly carrying. In the Extended Look, handguns stayed concealed and a concealment animation played before a character entered a store, while pedestrians and police reacted to a long gun held in hand. A weapon on show changes how people respond before any shot is fired. See Weapons and Combat.

Robberies

In the Extended Look, a store robbery was set up by putting on a mask from the clothing wheel, and previews reported that every store can be robbed, with the approach varying by store type. For the crimes shown so far and how robbery gameplay works, see Robberies and Heists and Heist System.