So the other day I got a question what my prediction is about GTA 6. Specifically the question was aimed around if it will live up to the hype and expectations. Taking a look at the leaks from a few years ago, my response was that yes, compared to GTA 5, we're probably looking at least at a net positive. Specifically in Graphics (given GTA 5 was a 2013 game which didn't have the best hardware compared to now, this isn't a hard bar for Rockstar to get over), but also in levels of Gameplay, City Size (There's this post about reconstructing the entirety of the map purely from leaks and trailers) as well as potential character depth. My guess is that the game will be somewhat of an upgrade compared to GTA 5.

Now I want to take a break in what I said there. While I do somewhat agree with what I said as response to that question, I don't think it paints the whole picture.

First off, to pre-face this next part a little, if you come from a standpoint that GTA 3 is the best game in the franchise, I'm not arguing with you. Likewise if you played GTA Vice City, or more importantly GTA San Andreas, then I'm not arguing with you. You are probably more correct than I am. I played those games after playing GTA 4 and GTA 5, thus my experience pivots around playing those games after I played the newer games. If GTA 3, Vice City or San Andreas are deemed the best games in the franchise, you are most likely more correct than I am. But this post is not about those games or the titles before it. The point of this post is more aimed towards people who deem GTA 5 the leading title in the franchise.

With that said, let's go back to GTA 4. And let's compare it to GTA 5. GTA 5 had a larger world and a larger player set going from 1 (Niko Bellic) to 3 (Michael, Franklin and Trevor). While this is a big jump in itself, and also with huge depth and good character progression, that in itself is not enough to make the whole game. Looking into other details of the game, you can see vast differences that makes it clear there's a difference in how Rockstar cared for game creation in GTA 4 vs in GTA 5.

In GTA 5, go up to a citizen and punch them, they drop dead in one punch. Do the same in GTA 4 and you have an 8 slot wheel appear which acts as a health bar for melee damage. There's a whole system in place for immersive melee combat for GTA 4 and it's actually taught when you start playing and is also encouraged and used in some missions. GTA 5 however went away with this.

In GTA 5, look at 2 citizens walk by each other. Maybe they stop at a zebra crossing and wait for green light. They don't care about each other. Once the green light comes, they cross the road, and part ways on the other side. Now you're the one who walks along the pavement and stop next to someone else waiting for green light. The NPC next to you gets annoyed by your presence and start punching you. The fact that you are a player has enough influence to make a difference compared to any other character in the game. In GTA 4 however, do the same experiment and you'll see the NPC doesn't care. To them, you're just another human in a city where most people are a nobody, even you. The player character is a pawn, just like any non player character. This is pure immersion at its finest.

This previous point is even more obvious when you involve police. In GTA 5, walk up to a police man and stay there. Do absolutely nothing but stand there. Within 15 seconds the police will draw their weapon, point at you, and arrest you. Simply standing still is a crime in Los Santos. Do the same in GTA 4, while they might question you and call you a jerk, they won't actually draw their gun or arrest you in any way. You're just a random hobo standing around looking weird, but that isn't a crime and GTA 4 knows this perfectly well, once again because you're a nobody so who cares.

One last note in attention for detail. Walk up to the shoreline, and start shooting the water. In GTA 5, you might see particles appear. These are not from the water, these are from the ground at the bottom of the water. Dirt particles that shoot enough up the water that you can see them above the water surface. In GTA 4 on the other hand, shoot down into the water, and the water itself shows splash particles.

Heck, this isn't even attention to detail, but if you steal a police car and press E, you can open the police computer and look for crimes to stop around the city. This stuff is genuinely very cool and I'm amazed GTA 5 basically got nothing of those sorts of features nor polish in attention to detail as GTA 4.

Most of these attention to detail points were gotten from crowbcat's video released in 2016.

So, to sum it all off. Do I think GTA 6 will be as good as GTA 5? As the title has already said, yes. I do think that GTA 6 will be at least as good as GTA 5. I do however believe, that it will never peak above the levels of detail and polish that GTA 4 offered. In layman terms, GTA 6 will be as good as GTA 5, but it won't be as good as GTA 4.