Rockstar Games has re-engineered its weather systems for Grand Theft Auto 6, aiming for a level of dynamism and persistence never before seen in its titles. According to Owen Shepherd, Rockstar's vice president of art for lighting and rendering, the studio's goal is to make the weather in the game's setting of Leonida, a Florida-inspired locale, feel "dynamically solid and achieve a sense of scale."
The new system will feature "fully dynamic cloudscapes that roll across the map," offering a "broad spectrum of weather" that mirrors Florida's often unpredictable climate. Players can expect localized rain showers, complete with appearing rainbows, and areas that were recently rained on will remain wet, featuring puddles that persist.
A new wind system is also being implemented, which will account for factors like "offshore breezes after sunset, convectional updrafts, and occlusion from buildings.” This is intended to manifest in-game as "hair and debris" swirling on rooftops, wind gusts rippling water surfaces, and grass bending in swampy areas.
GTA 6 will also feature more extreme weather events such as tropical storms and hurricanes, accompanied by thunder and lightning. However, Shepherd did not elaborate on how these intense weather phenomena might impact gameplay, leaving it unclear if events like hurricanes could cause environmental destruction, such as knocking down structures or trees.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is slated for release on November 19. The standard edition will be priced at $80, with an Ultimate Edition available for $100. A collector's edition, priced at $400, will include physical items but will not contain the game itself. The title is scheduled to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.