GTA 6 gameplay clue called as hiding in plain sight as gamers sherlock GTA Online

GTA 6 would definitely benefit from this awesome gameplay feature found right now in GTA Online

GTA 6
(Image credit: Rockstar)

GTA 6 hype has exploded recently and that has caused the Grand Theft Auto community to get very enthused about just what awesome new features and innovations the next-gen title is going to deliver.

And now a member of the GTA 6 Reddit community has raised a very interesting possibility after recently playing GTA Online – mainly, that Rockstar is testing and trialling gameplay mechanics for GTA 6 in it.

Most exciting, though, is the feature called for inclusion in GTA 6, which if implemented would take the next-gen game to an entire new level of awesome.

That feature? As Reddit user Sk8d3r highlights:

"So I've just finished the Franklin and lamar mission in the new GTA online Update and I think rockstar is testing this coop mechanic for further games. There have been many theories on rockstar testing stuff got GTA 6 in GTA online and I think this is one of them if they're really adding coop story missions which I would think is awesome. However what is more likely imo is the mechanic where you're shooting at the vagus from the back of the truck. The perspective is completely new. And it's great. This is most definitely a feature we can expect in GTA 6."

Coop missions with a variety of ways of completing them in GTA 6 sounds awesome to us here at T3 and, as noted by Reddit user ducth_van_der_plan, it seems really rather likely indeed that Rockstar is using GTA Online as a testbed for the feature and that it will come to the next Grand Theft Auto.

"I believe rockstar has been testing lots of stuff in gta online over the years for gta6," writes ducth_van_der_plan in reply to Sk8d3r. "Very unique position they're in of seeing what players like and don't like ahead of time. You don't just put out something new and different like the contract 8 years later and the way they integrated it into the online was really good. The contract was kill 2 birds with 1 stone for rockstar. They wanted to test something for gta6 and give players what they wanted. The Cayo perico was also a big test which incorporated single player elements and the interview rockstar gave after releasing it was very interesting! No wonder gta 6 taking so long lol but something tells me the contract was the last big test."

We totally agree with this statement here at T3. It seems very interesting that Rockstar has implemented such as mission gameplay mechanic change so long after GTA Online was released, with the Cayo Perico Heist literally described in the official Rockstar Newswire announcement of it as:

"The Cayo Perico Heist is the biggest GTA Online adventure ever, introducing an all-new exotic Heist location, with a brand-new approach to Heist design that features the ability to play everything solo or with up to three other players.”

Indeed, when you literally read "a brand-new approach to Heist design that features the ability to play everything solo or with up to three other players", and then start thinking about how Rockstar has been criticised in the past for its very much on-the-rails single-player mission gameplay, it suddenly seems obvious that it will want to introduce coop missions in GTA 6 that offer multiple ways to beat them.

When playing GTA V it often felt like wearing a straight jacket, as Rockstar allowed for little (if any) deviation from the way the firm intended you to tackle a mission, so if GTA 6 can improve on that, giving multiple gamers the ability to team up to complete a mission in multiple different ways, then the game will absolutely be better for it.

How will the next Grand Theft Auto look on PS5 and Xbox Series X? Check out T3's GTA 6 graphics analysis feature for what we know so far.

Robert Jones

Rob has been writing about computing, gaming, mobile, home entertainment technology, toys (specifically Lego and board games), smart home and more for over 15 years. As the editor of PC Gamer, and former Deputy Editor for T3.com, you can find Rob's work in magazines, bookazines and online, as well as on podcasts and videos, too. Outside of his work Rob is passionate about motorbikes, skiing/snowboarding and team sports, with football and cricket his two favourites.