GamesRadar breaks down the new wanted system: six-star scale, different star looks and Heat icons. A reading, not an official guide.
Photo: Rockstar Games
Sources gamesradar.com
Six stars instead of five, stars that change appearance, and red icons showing what the police know about you: GamesRadar has published a detailed reading of GTA 6’s new wanted system, built by cross-referencing Rockstar’s Extended Look and preview coverage. The outlet itself stresses this is interpretation, not official documentation.
According to GamesRadar, the scale now climbs to six stars, allowing finer nuance. For the first time in the series, stars take different appearances depending on the situation: the police are merely investigating a crime, or they have your details and are actively hunting you. The outlet adds that at high wanted levels the minimap is obscured by red and blue flashing lights, forcing you to spot patrols by eye.
The most interesting addition is the Heat system. Per GamesRadar, red icons in the top-right corner show which clues the police are using, supplied by eyewitnesses or their own observations. Six have been spotted so far. The more are active, the harder it is to shake the law.
The outlet draws practical tips, best taken as hypotheses: wear a mask, avoid or take out security cameras, hide weapons or change clothes to drop a clue. In the Extended Look, the vehicle icon disappears the moment Lucia steps out of Raul’s car. With the accomplice marker, splitting up Jason and Lucia can clear it, but if either gets caught, you are still Busted.
Rockstar has published no guide to this system. The links between star appearances and police states come from footage reviewed by GamesRadar, with the margin of error that implies. It is also unknown whether police behaviour varies across areas of Leonida. For other details gleaned from previews, our journal collects them.
If this reading holds, escaping the police will no longer mean driving fast until the stars vanish. You will have to manage what others saw, not only what you did. That remains to be tested hands-on, from November 19.
Sources gamesradar.com
By Amélie · VI Countdown newsroom, OKALAM Studio