Thanks to the new Game Informer preview, there’s plenty of fresh info on GTA 6. The dynamic weather system allows for real hurricanes, among other things; rain leaves behind realistic puddles.
The American magazine Game Informer has landed a major preview of GTA 6. The cover story from our colleagues in Minnesota not only features twelve new screenshots of Rockstar’s upcoming open-world blockbuster but also a wealth of previously unknown information about the game—for those who don’t want to sign up for an annual subscription or use their app, we’ve prepared a summary of the Game Informer story here.
A central aspect of the cover story is new information on how GTA 6’s dynamic weather system works. Like many other in-game systems, this is intended to ramp up the realism factor even further compared to previous GTA installments.
Among other things, the weather is said to influence what clothing NPCs wear in the game world. Admittedly, location is the primary determining factor here—people tend to wear less on the beach, while in the mountains around Mount Kalaga, they tend to wear more. When it rains, GTA NPCs are also supposed to dress more warmly than when the sun is blazing. But that’s not all.
Weather That Changes and Shifts
According to the Game Informer report, Rockstar has used the real, sometimes very wild and unpredictable weather of Florida as a model for GTA 6. The state is frequently hit by hurricanes. The weather system in the new GTA is also said to be capable of realistically simulating such complex storm systems.
Clouds dynamically gather over the map and can form tropical cyclones. Storms can move. The weather in GTA 6 is expected to change constantly and vary by location. While a storm rages on one side of the map, the sun may be shining elsewhere.
However, the weather also has a lasting impact on Leonida’s environment: During rain showers, water rushes down roof edges and streetlights; persistent puddles form on surfaces, which remain for a while even after the storm has ended.
When combined with the sun , rainbows can even form after a shower. Rockstar’s Head of Lighting and Rendering, Owen Shepherd, reveals that the weather’s impact on lighting in particular has been extensively reworked.
The wind is also expected to dynamically influence the game environment in GTA 6, setting water surfaces, hair, and plants in motion. However, we haven’t yet been able to see any of the described systems in action. The Game Informer preview does not include any new video footage of the game.
However, it’s likely that developer Rockstar will release at least one more trailer before the November 19 release of GTA 6—maybe then we’ll get a clear look at the new weather system.
