GTA 6 keeps its weapon wheel after years of tests
Updated
Rockstar spent months, maybe years, testing alternatives to GTA 6's weapon wheel before going back to it, aiming for a Red Dead 2 style loadout.
Rockstar spent months, possibly years, trying other ways to pick weapons in GTA 6 before going back to the classic wheel. Rob Nelson, the studio's head of development, told Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. The game launches on November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.
Why did Rockstar want to change the GTA 6 weapon wheel?
According to Schreier, Nelson said the team wanted GTA 6 loadouts to feel closer to Red Dead Redemption 2 than to GTA 5.
According to Schreier, Nelson said the team wanted GTA 6 loadouts to feel closer to Red Dead Redemption 2 than to GTA 5. In Red Dead 2 you carry a few weapons and the rest stay on your horse. The idea for GTA 6 was to move that to the car: a stash in the trunk and a short selection on you.
There was a design worry too. A wheel full of slots can draw attention to weapons you cannot actually carry. So Rockstar tried trays, webs and other interfaces, per Schreier.
How did it end?
After all those iterations, the studio returned to the weapon wheel already visible in the game's footage.
After all those iterations, the studio returned to the weapon wheel already visible in the game's footage. Schreier places the tests in a difficult stretch of development that began easing around late 2022 or early 2023, when the game started coming together. The first trailer, in December 2023, helped the team see the result.
| Game | How weapons are carried |
|---|---|
| GTA 5 | Wheel with the whole arsenal |
| Red Dead 2 | A few weapons on you, the rest on the horse |
| GTA 6 | Weapon wheel; storing some in the car was tested |
Rockstar has not said whether a carry limit survives in the final game. That is still open.
Will GTA 6 have Red Dead style details?
The same Schreier video, as covered by Polygon, covers another anecdote: some absurd horse physics in Red Dead 2 are…
The same Schreier video, as covered by Polygon, covers another anecdote: some absurd horse physics in Red Dead 2 are real, but were never on a production plan. Someone on the team spent time on them by choice. Schreier thinks GTA 6 will have plenty of details like that, thanks to a long development and Take-Two's budget. That is his opinion, not a Rockstar announcement.
Polygon also points to things already seen in footage, such as mud physics and complex NPC dialogue.
The main report comes from Mezha, which summarizes Schreier's reporting. For more, see what we know about GTA 6, the release date, price and editions and the beginner's guide. Curious about what you will drive? Check the vehicles.
What we still don't know about weapons
Still unknown: how many weapons you can carry at once, whether the car works as an armory, and how the wheel behaves…
Still unknown: how many weapons you can carry at once, whether the car works as an armory, and how the wheel behaves per character. Rockstar has not shared that. With launch under a month away, we will check it with a controller in hand.
FAQ
Will GTA 6 have a weapon wheel?
Yes. Per what Rob Nelson told Jason Schreier, Rockstar went back to the wheel after trying other options.
Will you store weapons in the car like in Red Dead 2?
Rockstar considered it, but has not confirmed that mechanic is in the final game.
When does GTA 6 come out?
November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, according to Rockstar.
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