RDR2 set the bar so high that GTA 6 expectations are through the roof now

I was thinking about this the other day. If RDR2 never happened, would we even be this hyped for GTA 6? Like, GTA 5 was fun and all, but it wasn't exactly pushing boundaries the way RDR2 did. Max Payne 3 was solid but not a game changer. Before 2018, Rockstar's track record was good, not mind-blowing. We would've just expected GTA 6 to be a slightly better GTA 5, maybe with a bigger map and nicer cars.

But then RDR2 came along and completely rewired what we think a Rockstar game can be. The level of detail in that world is still unmatched. The way NPCs have routines, the hunting, the weather, the way Arthur's hair grows, the sheer weight of the storytelling. Now every time I imagine GTA 6, I'm not comparing it to GTA 5. I'm comparing it to RDR2. I want that same grounded feel, that same lived-in world, but in a modern Vice City. I want random encounters that actually feel random. I want the lore to be just as deep. It's almost unfair to the devs because we're all expecting them to top a game that already felt like a miracle.

And the thing is, RDR2's world was mostly wilderness. GTA 6 has to do all that in a dense, urban environment with way more systems running at once. Traffic, pedestrians, a wanted system that hopefully isn't as rigid as GTA 5's. It's a massive challenge. Do you think they can actually pull off RDR2-level detail in a modern city, or are we setting ourselves up for disappointment?

Source: r/GTA6 · Curated content.

We've got two trailers since December 2023. Trailer 2 (May 2025) shows six named regions: Vice City, Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Mount Kalaga, Port Gellhorn, and Ambrosia. Pre-orders opened June 25 at $79.99 and $99.99 with the Vintage Vice City Pack. It's tough to measure systemic density against 2018 without a third trailer or raw gameplay timestamps.

RDR2 nailed world detail sure but i’m just praying that engine swap menus and widebody fitment hit that same level. if the cars feel tacked on i’m gonna RIOT

I keep thinking back to 2002 when Vice City dropped and we lost our minds over motorcycles and property buying. Now people want hair growth physics and full NPC daily routines. RDR2 definitely rewired our brains, but a dense modern city is a totally different stress test. Way more traffic, way more interiors, cops that hopefully aren't as braindead as GTA 5's... We've got two trailers and still no raw gameplay timestamps.

if the cars feel tacked on i'm gonna RIOT

Same energy honestly. I'm just hoping Leonida feels lived-in rather than a pretty map with checkpoints. Been waiting since the forum days for this. November can't get here fast enough.