Summary
Stepping-out moments have become a fairly important part of open-world games in the last few years. While stepping-out moments have been around for decades, their most recognized form was popularized by Bethesda’s modern RPGs, withgames likeSkyrimandFallout 3featuring a moment in which the player is presented with their first look at the game’s open world, and they’re given their first taste of freedom. It would be great to see such a moment inGrand Theft Auto 6.
Past Rockstar titles haven’t really delivered a direct stepping-out moment, at least not in the form many open-world fans are now used to. Instead, most Rockstar games ease players into the larger open world a few steps at a time.Red Dead Redemption 2, for instance, lets players explore its world a few miles at a time, with each chapter focusing on a different part of the map. But if any Rockstar game is going to have a traditional stepping-out moment, it should beGrand Theft Auto 6, and the perfect moment is already obvious.
Grand Theft Auto 6’s Stepping Out Moment Is Already Clear
Grand Theft Auto 6’s Prologue Could Set Up a Perfect Stepping Out Moment
Though Rockstar is clearly hiding a lot about its story,Grand Theft Auto 6’s announcement trailerdid give fans a general idea of what they can expect from the long-awaited sequel’s narrative.GTA 6’s debut trailer focused on Lucia, one of the game’s two playable protagonists. Fans are given a few brief glimpses at Lucia’s story, with her journey seemingly starting in prison.
Though this hasn’t been confirmed at all, it’s possible thatGrand Theft Auto 6’s prologue opens with players taking control of Lucia as she commits whatever crime that lands her in prison, similar toGrand Theft Auto 5’s opening. After being caught, it’s likely that players will watch a cutscene that gives them a brief overview of Lucia’s time in prison, as the game probably won’t want to linger on this section of her story for too long. And ifGrand Theft Auto 6’s prologueends with Lucia leaving prison, then the game sets itself up perfectly for a hard-hitting stepping-out moment where both Lucia and the player get to gaze upon the vibrant open world of Vice City once again.
Grand Theft Auto 6’s Stepping Out Moment Needs to Happen for Two Big Reasons
Over the last few decades, Rockstar has cemented this notion that its open worlds are essentially characters unto themselves, being the game’s beating heart. This is going to be truer than ever forGrand Theft Auto 6, and its announcement trailer already seems to acknowledge this, spending much of its short runtime showcasing Vice City’s impressive visual overhaul. If Vice City is going to be one ofGrand Theft Auto 6’s main characters, then it deserves a proper introduction, or reintroduction if fans have played the titular 2002 series entry, and a dedicated stepping-out moment would do just that.
Having a stepping-out moment inGrand Theft Auto 6would also be a great way to immediately connect the player with the character of Lucia. After a likely lengthy prologue, players will probably be desperate to finally be let loose onGTA 6’s open world, just as Lucia would be desperate to leave prison and reclaim her freedom.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
