The Rebuilt Wanted System

This is the biggest mechanical change in GTA 6, and the one most worth understanding before launch. The police no longer psychically know what you did. They work from evidence.

Six stars are back

The maximum wanted rating returns to six stars, reversing GTA 5's decision to cap police heat at five. Losing the police at one star should not be especially difficult. Reaching six triggers an all-out manhunt.

Location matters too: three stars or higher is reportedly very hard to escape inside Vice City, because of crowded streets, tight roads and constant traffic. The geography of the map is now part of the difficulty of the police system.

Crime has to be witnessed

• Confirmed Police are only alerted if an NPC sees the crime or a security system detects it
• Confirmed Responding officers are given a description: face, clothing and vehicle
• Confirmed Each piece of evidence is tracked separately and can be cleared separately
• Confirmed After you escape, the area stays an active police zone while officers search

How to clear a description

This is the part players will be arguing about for years, so learn it now. Each identifying detail must be dealt with on its own terms:

• Face on camera: wear a mask during the crime, then discard it afterwards.
• Physical description: change your hairstyle. This clears it.
• Clothing: you must change your outfit completely. Sunglasses or a different hat are not enough.
• Vehicle: ditch the identified getaway car. Some vehicles carry advanced GPS trackers that report their position to police automatically.

One more wrinkle, reported in Rockstar's August 2026 Dazed cover story rather than stated by Rockstar directly: going without sleep while you are being pursued is described as visibly degrading Jason and Lucia's features. If that holds, your appearance is not only something you change on purpose, a long enough manhunt changes it for you.

Two protagonists, two targets

Jason and Lucia can separate to divide police resources. One can be arrested while the other escapes. Getting taken into custody triggers the familiar Busted screen. Splitting up is a real tactical option rather than a cutscene.

Hiding weapons

You can conceal a weapon, holding a pistol behind your back, for instance, to avoid drawing NPC attention in the first place. Since NPC attention is what starts the whole chain, this is the earliest point at which you can break it.