Rockstar details GTA 6 weather that can damage aircraft and rock boats

Rockstar has described a dynamic weather system for GTA 6 that shapes how boats handle, can damage aircraft in storms and sends Leonida's residents looking for cover, according to GamesRadar+'s report on Edge magazine's GTA 6 cover story.

Speaking to Edge, Rockstar co-studio head Aaron Garbut contrasted the game with others where the weather is simply rainy or sunny, calling GTA 6's approach "much more granular."

What we know

GamesRadar+ summarises several weather and wind details from the interview:

• Cloud systems move independently of one another rather than as a single blanket over the map.
• Storms can form far away and gradually roll into town.
• After rain, different surfaces dry at different rates.
• Wind moves through Vice City, swaying trees and kicking up waves on the water.
• Islands and buildings block and redirect wind, which changes how an anchored boat moves near the shore.
• Where you stand on a boat affects how much the waves throw you around.
• Severe weather causes turbulence for planes and helicopters, and staying in a storm too long can cause light damage.
• Civilians in Leonida seek shelter when severe weather passes through.

On boats specifically, Garbut told Edge: "Depending on where you are in your boat, you'll skip over that stuff or get really rocked around by it." His broader point, as relayed by GamesRadar+, is that the game simulates these small elements individually and lets them interact with one another.

GamesRadar+ notes that GTA 6 is due to release on November 19.

What isn't confirmed yet

These details reach us secondhand, via GamesRadar+'s summary of Garbut's comments to Edge, so some phrasing reflects the outlet's paraphrase rather than Rockstar's exact words. The interview as reported does not spell out how much damage aircraft can take beyond it being light, how often severe storms occur, or whether weather affects other vehicles or missions. Rockstar has not, in the material available to us, said how any of this plays out moment to moment, so the finer gameplay effects remain to be seen when the game is out.