Rockstar is clear: being realistic was never GTA VI's goal

GTA VI looks like the most photorealistic game ever made, yet Rockstar insists realism was never the goal. That’s according to Rob Nelson, co-head of Rockstar North, in an interview with French magazine Trois Couleurs during its visit to the Edinburgh studio: “The goal is not to be realistic, but to give an impression of realism and stay coherent with what we do, without slowing things down unnecessarily.”

The idea applies to the visuals and the gameplay alike. Nelson admits that as technology advances, the temptation to chase hyperrealism grows, but that a studio has to “find your own angle on it.” The interviewer notes that Rockstar’s style leans closer to comic-book art than to photography, which is exactly what keeps the game clear of the uncanny valley. “It is subtle, but it’s not fully realistic, and that’s not the goal,” Nelson stresses.

The philosophy explains decisions already visible in the previews: believable but snappy animations, a hyper-detailed world that never takes itself too seriously, and the satire that remains the heart of the series. In the demo the magazine saw running, improvised store robberies, like the gas station hold-up we covered in how heists and money work, play out differently each time precisely because the game favors believable reactions over strict simulation.

Less than two months from launch, the studio’s message reassures anyone fearing a GTA turned simulator: GTA VI wants to feel real, not be real.