---
title: 'GTA 6 Changes How You Steal Cars - Rockstar Explains'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=FiVctZmv4Xo'
video_id: 'FiVctZmv4Xo'
date: 2026-08-28
duration_sec: 481
channel: 'IGN'
---

# GTA 6 Changes How You Steal Cars - Rockstar Explains

> Source: [GTA 6 Changes How You Steal Cars - Rockstar Explains](https://youtube.com/watch?v=FiVctZmv4Xo)

## Summary

This video analyzes Rockstar's announcement that GTA 6 will fundamentally change the car theft mechanic, introducing a tiered vehicle system, new tools like the Wank Scanner, and deeper gameplay layers. It explains how these changes affect mission design, player progression, and the overall feel of the game.

### Key Points

- **Car Theft Evolution** [00:06] — GTA 6 introduces a tiered vehicle theft system, changing the simple one-button steal mechanic from previous games.
- **Layered Vehicle Stratification** [01:17] — Rob Nelson, co-studio head of Rockstar North, explains they added layers of stratification to vehicles to improve progression and decision-making, giving vehicles more meaning.
- **Wank Scanner** [01:56] — A new device called the Wank Scanner lets players scan vehicles to see their security system, value, and registration cost, adding a strategic layer to choosing targets.
- **Digital Key Cloning** [02:23] — Some high-end cars are protected with electronic keys, requiring a digital key cloning device that must be acquired, potentially unlocking after certain story points.
- **GPS Trackers** [02:48] — Stolen cars may have GPS trackers that reveal your location to law enforcement if you drive below a certain speed, adding risk to getaways.
- **Fences and Vehicle Sales** [03:13] — Players can visit fences to sell stolen vehicles, borrowing from Red Dead Redemption 2, but must remove trackers to maximize value.
- **Vehicle Registration** [03:39] — The Wank Scanner also shows the cost to register a stolen car as your own, allowing Jason and Lucia to own multiple personal vehicles with cash and garage space.
- **Impact on Mission Design** [04:21] — The new systems encourage organic, emergent solutions to missions, making escapes more frantic and requiring on-the-fly transport changes.
- **Enhanced Repo Missions** [05:31] — Simeon-style repo jobs could become more rewarding with the Wank Scanner, allowing for treasure-hunt-like objectives instead of simple marker-following.
- **Potential for Big Heists** [06:27] — Advanced tech like key cloning could be used in larger missions, potentially branching outcomes and affecting Jason and Lucia's relationship.

### Conclusion

GTA 6's overhaul of car theft adds meaningful complexity to a core mechanic, promising richer gameplay and more dynamic missions. This change is a significant evolution for the series, opening up new possibilities for player choice and emergent storytelling.

## Transcript

in 1997, Grand Theft Auto's titular crime has been a fairly simple process. Tap one button and someone else's car is now yours. But almost 30 years later, GTA 6 is set to change that up completely. Introducing a tiered vehicle
to steal them with, and new ways to profit from each theft directly. Look what the law chased. Let's look at all the details about how this works in for other types of missions, including liquor store robberies and massive bank
>> Wait, did you steal my friend's car? >> Yeah. >> What do I do? >> Jesus. >> Long-term GTA fans will be more than familiar with how stealing a car has
up to your desired wheels and simply press a button to open a door left carelessly unlocked or smash through a window with your elbow to enter better window with your elbow to enter better secured vehicles.
completely in GTA 6. It appears with older, less desirable vehicles still vulnerable to swift methods of entry, such as a quick slim gym forced into the window gap and under the lock. But other much more high-end motors were compact
introduce new gameplay challenges, asking players to flex unfamiliar muscles when it comes to jacking cars. We spoke to Rob Nelson, co-studio head of Rockstar North, who said, "We have put some layers of stratification into
the vehicles. Previously, you could just press triangle to automatically hotwire and steal any vehicle that you wanted and take off. We felt like that left a in terms of progression and decision-making for players. I think it
gives all the vehicles more meaning and you need to pay attention to what you're >> Does this mean we're in his crew? >> Yeah, I think so. harder to crack than others? Well, apart
able to distinguish a rusty old white van from a straight off the production line Groy sports car, you'll need to take advantage of a brand new piece of take advantage of a brand new piece of GTA 6 tech, the wank scanner. Get within
fancy, and you'll be able to hold your device up to get all of the relevant information. Chief among these details are its security system and value. We tiers there'll be, but what we do know is that some will be protected digitally
as GTA catches up with the modern age of electronic keys. That means you'll need a digital key cloning device in order to unlock some car doors. But that piece of kit will come at a cost with it needing to be acquired first, and some tools
will only unlock after a certain part in the story. It's a clear sign that GTA 6 is aiming to evolve its gameplay opportunities over the course of the game. It's all in service of adding levels of complexity to binary actions.
But technology can also work against you. Even if you manage to get behind the wheel of your chosen target, that car may be fitted with a tracker. some advanced versions of which reveal your location to law enforcement if you drive
below a certain speed, meaning you need to put your foot down to avoid hearing attention your way if the car is reported as stolen, but in theory, any prospective buyer worth its name in salt would want it removed before you cash
in. This ties into another layer of GTA 6's enhanced simulation. You'll be able to visit a fence and sell any vehicle you've stolen. Yes, Rockstar is borrowing from its previous game, Red Dead Redemption 2. Albeit, you'll be
hunting metal beasts rather than taking down meaty big bucks for big bucks. And Arthur Morgan never had to worry about GPS trackers ruining the value of his finds. But perhaps you aren't stealing a car with pure profit foremost in mind,
but instead just fancy making it your own. Well, the wank scanner. Yes, it's really called that, and I have no idea what that acronym stands for right now. also tells you how much that car will cost to register as your own personal
vehicle. GTA 6 will allow Jason and Lucia to each own multiple personal vehicles, provided you have the cash and garage space. >> here. >> Yeah,
>> we got to go. >> Both of these new systems, tiered new world of possibilities when it comes to mission design in GTA 6. Don't be surprised to see more organic emergent solutions to mission objectives appear
as you play. For example, the simple fact that many cars can't be instantly broken into and commandeered makes the act of an escape altogether a more frantic endeavor. You might get lucky and slide into an unsecured sedan on the
back, you're realistically not going to have time to stop and scan the area for the perfect getaway vehicle. It all builds into Rockstar's intention for you to spend more time scurrying away on foot or changing methods of transport on
the fly with the narrower Leonida streets helping generate exciting streets helping generate exciting desperation and unexpected thrills alley here. >> Okay.
in this game are narrower and more realistic in terms of scale which in on the roads makes driving slightly more challenging and requires a bit of skill. That more organic approach to momentto
moment action could extend to specific styles of missions too. Not an insignificant amount of time in both GTA 5 and GTA Online is spent reclaiming cars for Simeon Franklin's original employer. These primarily serve as
simple introductory quests in the world of San Andreas and its gameplay fundamentals. But in GTA 6, the framework of similar jobs could become a lot more rewarding with these additional layers of complexity. Rather than simply
placing a marker on your map to drive to and demanding you deliver a requires it, the possibilities of now open up, thanks to the Wank Scanner. In specific brand of car around the world or one of a specific value and use this
treasure hunt. Doing so would embed us further into GTA 6's world and allow us to spend less time following markers and trace lines along roads on a mini map. Being able to take this newly procured car to any fence on the map would also
help mix things up rather than the tedium that zooming along the same few streets back to Simeons in Los Santos could become. THESE SITUATIONS, DOG. >> FRANKLIN, WHAT THE ARE YOU DOING?
>> But perhaps most exciting is how these systems could translate into some of GTA 6's biggest missions. In theory, the back rooms of small stores could be easily broke into with the minimal spoils waiting there, yours to take. But
what about big banks or heavily guarded facilities? Surely, some more advanced tech will need to be employed here to crack safes or bypass locked doors. If job, such as the affforementioned key cloning device, then does that limit
potentially make missions branch in that will seemingly add up over the course of GTA 6. And the repercussions could range from short-term problems such as an increased wanted level to
permanently damaging Jason and Lucia's relationship. Well, [ __ ] that ain't >> Stealing cars has been at the core of Grand Theft Auto for almost three decades now. But this fundamental change to how it all works is as exciting a
change as Rockstar has made in that time. I can't wait to get my hands on it and see all the possibilities that this opens up for the world of GTA.
She's just evil. gen where we've got plenty more exclusive looks into Rockstar's latest. >> Enjoy this dude. If this right now was all that there is all the time,
all that there is all the time, >> it would be perfect.