GTA 6 Driving Physics: What Changed From GTA 5

Handling is one of the most argued-about parts of any GTA, and a hands-on Rockstar North preview gives the first real sense of where GTA 6 lands between two very different past games.

Weight is back

According to the preview, the studio aimed to keep the weight and feel that GTA 4 was known for while holding onto GTA 5's accessibility. In practice that reportedly means more momentum and a real risk of spinning out if you accelerate too hard, something a muscle car did during the preview session itself.

Top speeds and controls

Fast cars and bikes are reported to reach higher top speeds than in GTA 5, with more care needed on the throttle in rear wheel drive cars specifically. Control-wise, the handbrake has reportedly moved to X on PlayStation and A on Xbox by default, freeing up L1 and R1 for shooting while driving.

What is still unclear

Whether you can flip an overturned car back onto its wheels using the steering, a trick from earlier games, is reported to be removed, though the same preview suggested heavier handling makes rolling over less likely in the first place. Neither point has been verified hands-on outside of what Rockstar staff described.

Driving also comes with fuel in GTA 6. Our fuel system guide covers what previews report about refueling stops.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does GTA 6 feel like GTA 4 or GTA 5 to drive?

Reported to sit between the two: GTA 4's weight and momentum, rebuilt with GTA 5's accessibility rather than its stiffness.

Are supercars still good off road in GTA 6?

Reported to be deliberately bad off road this time, unlike GTA 5 where sports cars handled rough terrain better than they should have.