After the Game Informer story, Rockstar puts a number on GTA 6's wildlife: about 170 species, including 60-plus birds, 30-plus land mammals and marine animals.
Sources polygon.com · ign.com
I trained as a biologist, so I read species lists before screenshots. The one Rockstar gave Game Informer yesterday is long. According to IGN, the studio confirms around 170 animal species in GTA 6: more than 60 birds, more than 30 land mammals, a range of fish and reptiles, and at least one zoo to visit.
As reported by Polygon, the list includes monkeys, sharks, armadillos, bears and alligators, all found in Florida, as well as manatees that the game had only hinted at so far, through the local football team's jerseys. Michael Kane, vice president of dynamic art, tells Game Informer that Rockstar wanted wildlife from every biome: urban and rural settings, freshwater and ocean life, and wetlands such as swamps and the Everglades.
Each animal has its own movement behaviors. The level of detail is high: some marine animals show iridescence or bioluminescence, and fur is simulated, with dirt matting and clumping, a coat that changes when wet, and color variations. The nine-banded armadillo, an invasive species in Florida, is among the examples cited.
Polygon notes that Rockstar builds on the wildlife structure of Red Dead Redemption 2, only bigger. A new Game Informer screenshot shows Jason with a rifle on his back facing grazing deer. The magazine reads it as a sign that hunting returns in some form, and says rare animals can be tracked and hunted, without Rockstar naming which. That is not a detailed confirmation, only an inference from an image.
IGN, for its part, compiled everything that could be identified in the trailers, the Extended Look and the screenshots: about fifty species, less than a third of the total. The rest stays hidden, and IGN left out animals merely suggested by rumors or leaks, the possum and a half-seen rat included.
Rockstar has not published a full list since. On the calendar, GTA 6 launches on November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with preload on November 12, PEGI 18, €79.99 for the standard edition and €99.99 for the Ultimate. No PC version has been announced.
To follow the run-up to launch, head to the journal.
A figure as precise as 170 species says wildlife is designed as a system, not as scenery. For players who prefer watching to shooting, scuba diving, the zoo and photo safaris could matter as much as hunting. Rockstar has said nothing about those uses, and we will only find out at launch.
Sources polygon.com · ign.com
By Lara Rivolet · VI Countdown newsroom, OKALAM Studio