Revision 26

Overview

Grand Theft Auto VI introduces a more grounded approach to weapons and combat. The most significant change is a strict limit on what players can carry at any time. This system, combined with expanded drive-by mechanics, melee combat, and a return of Phil's Ammu-Nation, creates a combat framework that rewards preparation and loadout planning over raw firepower.

Carrying System

Players can carry a maximum of two long guns and two handguns on their person at any time. Additional weapons are stored in vehicle trunks and must be retrieved manually.

Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, has reportedly explained the rule in an interview around the Extended Look. Two handguns can always be carried concealed. Two long guns are carried visibly, and they cannot both go on the back: one sits on the back and the other in the off hand. He said people react to a character carrying like that, and that a long gun on the back draws less attention than one held in hand.

The practical effect is that vehicles become more than just transportation. Keeping a car or truck nearby during a job means having access to heavier firepower when things escalate. The character visibly carries a rifle on their back while holding a pistol in hand.

Confirmed Firearms

The following weapons have been identified from official trailers and Rockstar promotional screenshots. Rockstar has not published a complete weapons list.

Pistols

Shotguns

Assault Rifles and Carbines

Submachine Guns

Sniper Rifles

Heavy Weapons

Melee Weapons

A baseball bat is visible near the Uncle Jack's Liquor robbery scene. Standard unarmed fist combat is also confirmed.

Weapon Manufacturers

GTA VI continues the series tradition of fictional weapon manufacturers that parody real-world arms companies. The following manufacturers have been confirmed.

Phil's Ammu-Nation

Phil's Ammu-Nation is the confirmed gun store in GTA VI. It appears in Trailer 2 at approximately the 2:09 mark as an in-game commercial. Its proprietor, Phil, stands in front of a gun wall stocked with semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, SMGs, and assault rifles.

The commercial's highlight is Phil firing an M249 SAW from the rooftop of his store. His confirmed slogan is "We got more guns than the law allows." The store is located in the state of Leonida, and the commercial continues the series' tradition of satirical in-game advertising.

Combat Mechanics

Shooting

An official promotional screenshot shows Jason aiming a Duke Carbine with both eyes open during a nighttime scene in Vice City. This technique, called bilateral shooting, is taught in U.S. military and some law enforcement training programs. It provides better peripheral vision and situational awareness compared to closing one eye. The detail is consistent with Jason's confirmed military background.

Cover System

Grand Theft Auto VI uses a button-press cover system. Rockstar has not confirmed whether blind-fire and leaning around corners are included.

Drive-By Shooting

Trailer 2 shows Jason firing a pistol out of a car window. Standing up to shoot through a window, firing from a pickup truck's bed and shooting while swimming appear only in lists drawn from leaked 2022 development footage; Rockstar has not confirmed them.

In Trailer 2, Lucia fires a Milkor MGL grenade launcher from the back of a moving vehicle, destroying two pursuing police cruisers while the armored Police Riot survives the blast. This scene has been widely analyzed as potential in-game footage of the drive-by system in action, though Rockstar has not confirmed whether the shot represents gameplay or a cinematic sequence.

Melee Combat

Hand-to-hand combat is confirmed through multiple sources. Trailer 2 shows Lucia throwing a high kick at an opponent inside a steel cage, confirming MMA-style cage fighting as a side activity. Lucia's backstory mentions her father taught her to fight from a young age.

Weapon Wheel

The Extended Look showed the weapon wheel flipping over to a second wheel of clothing and items, used on screen to put on a mask before a store robbery.

No Dual Wielding

Dual wielding does not appear to be returning in GTA VI. Players use one weapon at a time, consistent with the game's grounded combat design.

NPC Reactions

Walking around with a drawn weapon triggers fear reactions from nearby NPCs, who may flee or call the police. Characters automatically conceal weapons in public, non-combat contexts, and the Extended Look showed a concealment animation playing before a character entered a store. Rob Nelson has described the population as more nuanced than before: a long gun carried on the back should draw little reaction, while one held in hand makes people react and move away.

Combat Features at a Glance

Named Weapon Models

The Extended Look showcase of 27 August 2026 confirmed that weapons carry manufacturer brands and model numbers rather than generic class names. A Moreland 850 Shotgun is named on screen when Jason picks it up off the floor, the first weapon in the game shown with a full brand and model designation.

The same showcase confirmed a lethality indicator built into the aiming reticle. It shows red when a shot will kill and yellow otherwise, giving a live readout of whether an encounter is being resolved lethally. This supports the non-lethal takedown options seen elsewhere in the showcase.

Mechanics Not Confirmed

Several combat features that circulate in discussion of the game trace to leaked 2022 development footage rather than to Rockstar's official material. They include separate inventory slots for painkillers, health kits and body armor, dedicated weapon pickup animations, a throwables list with smoke grenades and flashbangs, a prone stance, switching the firing hand, a separate melee grapple, zip-tie restraints and using hostages as human shields. This wiki does not treat any of them as confirmed.