Why GTA 6 Could Be the Ideal Home for a Fan-Favorite San Andreas Feature

There’s not a lot of information available about the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6, but thanks Rockstar’s pedigree and the ambitious scale of previous GTA games, fan excitement is at an understandably high level. With little more than the history of previous GTA games to go off, much speculation has been leveled at just how GTA 6 will differentiate itself from what came before it, as the franchise has a tendency to reinvent itself between releases.

But of course, not every mechanic from prior GTA games needs to be thrown out with the bathwater. Creative decisions like the presumed “Bonnie and Clyde” nature of Grand Theft Auto 6‘s protagonists, and the new, high-fidelity rendition of Vice City pose a lot of unique possibilities, though revisiting older gameplay systems or structural elements could also present some great opportunities. This is especially true given the technological advancements that have reached in the wake of classic titles like GTA: San Andreas, which could serve as fertile ground for a revamping or reimagining of these now-abandoned ideas, giving them new life in the modern age.

GTA 6 Should Bring Back GTA: San Andreas’ Gang Warfare

Gang Wars Were a Core Part of San Andreas, Not To Be Seen in Other GTA Games

Unsurprisingly, organized crime plays a major role in just about every GTA game, with rival factions clashing, often violently, throughout the course of the series’ myriad stories. But 2004’s GTA: San Andreas worked gang warfare into the overarching, open-world gameplay loop in perhaps the most interesting way, making it a dynamic, meaningful, and rewarding part of the experience, rather than just something folded into the linear single-player narrative.

In San Andreas, players can initiate gang wars between the player-character’s gang, Grove Street Families, and the various other troupes of troubled Los Santos. The gang wars themselves are fairly straightforward: after killing a few members of a rival gang, a full-blown gunfight will break out, and backup will arrive for both parties. Winning these shootouts will mean taking control over the relevant district, yielding both Respect and in-game monetary rewards. It’s a satisfying feature that allows San Andreas‘ combat and open world to shine, and although audiences have hoped for its return in subsequent GTA games, it seems to have been lost to time.

How Gang Warfare Could Be Improved in GTA 6

Numerous advancements, both within the GTA franchise and gaming as a whole, could make some version of gang/territory warfare a perfect match for the next game in the series. GTA 6 will likely be a notable improvement over its predecessors in a number of ways, not the least of which being its shooting and overall combat mechanics, which would make gang wars much more gratifying to engage in.

Turning small portions of GTA 6‘s map into a temporary war zone, packed with more friendly and hostile NPCs than San Andreas could handle, would make for dynamic open-world activities with a lot of room for growth and strategy. A larger, more detailed game world could also benefit the gang warfare formula, lending itself to a greater number of diverse encounters.

The defense side of the gang wars equation could be elevated in GTA 6 as well. Perhaps players could invest in some sort of in-game militia or specific weapons that could suppress enemy forces seeking retribution in claimed zones, adding a layer of long-term strategy to the open-world sandbox. There are plenty of classic GTA features that should return in GTA 6, but gang warfare seems particularly poised for a successful revival.