GTA 6: Story missions alone apparently won’t be enough to finish the game

In previous GTA games, the main story and open-world activities were largely separate. According to Rob Nelson, development chief and co-studio head at Rockstar North, GTA 6 (available for pre-order on Amazon) will tie the two together much more closely. Speaking to Famitsu (on Japanese), Nelson explains that money will serve as the link between them. “Just completing missions won’t give you enough money to progress the story,” Nelson says. In other words, players who focus exclusively on the main storyline may eventually find themselves short on cash and unable to move forward.

Nelson does not reveal exactly how players will earn the extra money they need, but the open world is likely to provide plenty of opportunities. In a GTA game, robberies are the most obvious possibility – and as previously reported, they appear to be considerably more complex than in the previous game. Smaller jobs or other criminal activities would also seem plausible, although Rockstar has not confirmed any of these possibilities so far.

The closer connection between story progression and the open world has been largely well received on Reddit, especially because it could give freely planned robberies a more meaningful role. Some users are already imagining carefully staged break-ins through back entrances, disabling security cameras and alarm systems before making off with the money without ever triggering a shootout. Fans are still hoping, however, that such robberies can actually be planned freely in the open world rather than being limited to scripted missions. If the money required to progress can only be earned through repetitive side activities, enthusiasm could quickly turn into criticism over a potential grind.