GTA 6's Wanted System Is Ridiculously In-Depth

Published Aug 27, 2026, 4:50 PM EDT Niall (pronounced Ny-ul) is a UK-based writer who has been writing about Magic: The Gathering throughout his entire career, with everything from new set breakdowns and individual deck guides to offering his opinions on the state of formats and the general direction of the iconic TCG. Niall also has a rich history covering triple-A releases, sports games, and PC hardware. The Grand Theft Auto 6 Netflix stream just ended, and we saw a ton of exciting new features and gameplay attributes in the 27-minute showcase. Some of the biggest changes, however, weren't shown during the event and involve the new wanted system. We already knew that we were heading back to a six-star system, at least leaks suggested as such, but not only is that confirmed, but so are additional features that make this wanted system the most in-depth and intricate that we've seen from the series, or any game, so far. Hide Your Identity To Fool The Cops All of these changes and updates to the wanted system come from IGN, which visited Rockstar Games to take an early look at the game. The first one that jumped out to me is that, when committing a crime, you can conceal your identity using a mask or face covering, something we have seen on promotional art, but it will actually help conceal your identity from the cops. Removing your mask after committing a crime can help you avoid detection and walk away scot-free. In addition, cops have also gotten an upgrade that lets them zero in on the exact vehicle you're driving. You can use this to your advantage by finding a way to ditch the vehicle and swap to another one, provided you're out of sight, and the cops will be none the wiser. The six-star wanted system returns after GTA 5's decision to cap it at five stars. Cops will also learn what you look like over time, down to physical features and the clothes you're wearing. To get around this, you can change your clothes and get a fresh haircut to fool the cops into thinking you're someone else entirely. You can even store an extra set of clothes in your vehicle's boot to change into on the fly. Get Creative To Escape The Cops As you may expect, as your wanted level increases, the cops will be much more ferocious in their pursuit, but unlike in previous GTA games, grabbing any old vehicle and flooring it won't be enough to escape. Past wanted level three, you'll need to swap over to one of the faster vehicles in the game to stand a chance at outrunning the cops, or you can take the creative route and try to ghost them while on foot; using the denser areas of the game to maneuver yourself to a position that vehicles cannot access could be the key to your freedom. Splitting Up Is Sometimes The Answer Key art provided by Rockstar Games. No, we're not talking about Jason and Lucia's romantic relationship, should you choose to pursue it, but when in a tight spot with the law, you can have the protagonists split up, having either of the pair take the heat while you control them to let the other escape, which also splits the attention of the cops, ideally making it easier for both to get away. If you opt to take this route, it appears as though you'll need to see it through, as whichever character you're playing until you get the all clear from your partner to say they're safe and have also evaded the cops. With all these changes, and potentially more still to be uncovered, coming to just the wanted system alone, it's safe so say we're even more hyped now for the arrival of GTA 6 than we ever thought possible.