First day in GTA 6, story first or just mess around?

I've been going back and forth on this since the release date got locked in. Part of me wants to just hit the ground running with the story, see what Lucia and Jason are actually about before I spoil anything for myself. But then I remember every GTA I've ever played, and the first hour always ends up being me stealing the fastest car I can find and seeing how far I can push it before the cops show up.

That's the thing though. This map looks massive. Leonida, Vice City, the Keys, all that. I can already picture myself saying "just a quick drive to the beach" and then three hours later I'm on the other side of the map with a wanted level and no idea how I got there. Story missions? What story missions?

My plan is probably to do the opening mission or two just to get a feel for the controls, then immediately go off script. Drive around, listen to the radio, see if the NPCs actually react to you like they showed in that extended look. Maybe find a diner and just sit there. I don't know, I think the first day is about soaking it in, not rushing to the next cutscene.

But I get why some people want to go story first. Rockstar put a lot into these characters and if you wander too much you might stumble on something that spoils a later moment. Not that I care about spoilers, I'll probably watch a hundred videos before I even get my copy. Still, there's something about experiencing that first mission fresh.

Honestly I'll probably end up doing both and regretting nothing. The game's not going anywhere, we've waited this long, what's another few hours of just driving around doing nothing?

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Source: r/GTA6 · Curated content.