After Grand Theft Auto 6’s Latest Leak, Rockstar’s Biggest Challenge is Clear

Even after its recent delay, hype surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6 is as palpable as ever, with audiences on the edge of their seats awaiting more concrete information. Sadly, the two trailers shown thus far don’t seem to highlight much gameplay, with all their footage appearing to be from in-engine cutscenes. Nevertheless, there is a good deal of GTA 6 information swirling about the internet in the form of leaks and rumors, which have helped elevate expectations.

Of course, there was the massive Rockstar hack of 2023, which illuminated much of GTA 6‘s fundamental elements, but even more unofficial information has come down the pipeline in its wake. Just a few days ago, a forum user by the name of GamerollGTA, who had previously correctly leaked the last names of GTA 6‘s protagonists, unshackled a bevy of such info, making all manner of new claims about Rockstar’s upcoming open-world adventure. Some of the most notable bits of intel allege that Jason and Lucia will have GTA 5-style special abilities, and that Red Dead Redemption 2‘s greet and antagonize mechanics are making a return. But one claim stands out from the rest, painting a picture of a game that’s even more ambitious than many first assumed.

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Grand Theft Auto 6 Will Reportedly Have Hundreds of Physical Shops To Explore

Leaks Claim GTA 6 Will Have Around 700 Shops

By far, the most compelling and surprising claim from GamerollGTA’s recent leak is the one regarding GTA 6‘s stores and interior spaces. According to the leaker, GTA 6 will have around 700 shops and “the most interiors in any open world game you’ve ever played.” This would represent a considerable step forward for the life-simulation and world-building aspects of the GTA franchise, making GTA 6‘s map one of the most detailed and intricate that the gaming world has ever seen.

But how exactly will these hundreds of shops function? That’s a question that’s more complicated than it might seem, since it’s not just about what’s technically possible with current gaming technology, but what actually makes sense within the context of the game’s design. In other words, GTA 6 is going to need to justify the existence of these hundreds of stores, which means offering loads of different incentives to engage with the in-game economy.

How Grand Theft Auto 6 Could Make Its Shops Matter

The leaks aren’t specific about the function of these shops; it’s possible that several, if not most, of the in-game stores exist for the purpose of robbing, not shopping. In this case, they would function more like open-world activities than integral parts of the GTA 6 item economy. There would still be ways to make these locations interesting, of course—maybe they could require different robbery techniques or come with specific risks or bonus opportunities—but they wouldn’t be groundbreaking in the way that hundreds of traditional shops would be.

Assuming that these 700 shops are actually places of in-game commerce, they raise a lot of questions about GTA 6‘s various features and gameplay systems. For instance, one might assume that a good number of these shops may be dedicated to apparel, hairstyles, and other cosmetics, while several others could sell weaponry, cars, and the like—but splitting 700 shops into just these two broad categories seems unlikely, unless GTA 6 literally has thousands of different cars, guns, and clothing items to choose from. Maybe there could be shops connected to as-of-yet-unrevealed gameplay pillars, like base-building or business management: there could be furniture stores or wholesale retailers that exist to support these pillars. With so little unveiled about GTA 6 by Rockstar itself, and with this claim about hundreds of shops being unconfirmed, it’s hard to know exactly how the in-game economy will ultimately turn out. But it sounds exciting indeed.