5 unique features GTA 6 could borrow from GTA San Andreas

GTA San Andreas will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2024. Despite being so old, the game is jam-packed with features that Rockstar hasn't reintroduced in the series. These aspects help the game world feel more immersive and are mainly why this game is considered one of the best in the series. Now, as Grand Theft Auto 6 is just a year away from being released, fans have enough time to consider all the features they'd like to see in the game.

Many want some features from San Andreas to make their way into the new game. This article lists such features, most of which haven't returned since then.

Note: This article is subjective and solely based on the author's opinion.

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5 distinctive features from GTA San Andreas that should reappear in GTA 6

1) Health bars

With most modern titles, games have moved away from intrusive UI elements and the HUD covering half of the screen. Instead, most newer titles only display the bare minimum of information that players need. While this makes for an immersive game experience, it can also be a bit problematic at times. Therefore, the next game should bring back health bars.

For instance, NPCs in GTA 5 are pretty much bullet sponges, and since there are no visible health indicators, it's hard to tell how many rounds are needed to kill them. This isn't an issue in GTA San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto 4, where players can see the health bar of NPCs they lock on to. There aren't any bullet sponge enemies in San Andreas either, and players don't have to mag dump to kill them.

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2) Dynamic body change

A truly unique feature exclusive to GTA San Andreas is the ability to decide how much body fat or muscle the protagonist will maintain. This has a visible effect on CJ's body, with a skinnier CJ running and climbing much faster. On the other hand, a fat CJ is slower, gets tired much earlier, and has difficulty climbing certain objects.

Meanwhile, if CJ works out at the gym, he eventually gets so muscular that his melee attacks do more damage than normal. This would be a truly unique feature that would aid in immersion in Grand Theft Auto 6 while adding an aspect of customization.

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3) Local multiplayer

Grand Theft Auto Online has successfully cemented multiplayer gameplay as a core aspect of the GTA series. However, the first game in the franchise to have introduced multiplayer was San Andreas, even though it was just local multiplayer. This was a feature exclusive to the Xbox and PS2 versions of the game, where two players could play two different game modes together.

The first player would play as CJ, while the other could choose an NPC as their player model. There wasn't much to do here, but Grand Theft Auto 6 could innovate upon this feature. For instance, players can do various friend activities while playing as either Jason or Lucia.

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4) Burglary

Burglary is a side activity in San Andreas, wherein players can burgle almost any residential house and steal valuables. The core emphasis is stealth, as making too much noise will wake the occupants, who will call the cops. It's not the best way to make money in the game, but it's definitely a fun way to do so.

There hasn't been anything like it since then, mainly because of how the HD Universe games handle interiors. The houses in San Andreas will often use the same interiors, just with a different permeation. Meanwhile, GTA 4 and 5 have seamless open-world maps, so the interiors can't be repeated.

However, GTA Online has reintroduced the type of interiors used in San Andreas, where players enter a different location after stepping into a marker. If Grand Theft Auto 6 also uses this mechanism for certain buildings, it could implement a burglary system where every house can be robbed.

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5) Fighting styles

Unlike Grand Theft Auto 5, melee combat shouldn't be on the list of things GTA 6 should avoid. Advanced fighting moves like those in San Andreas or even fighting championships like in The Ballad of Gay Tony would be a nice touch to make the game more interesting.

San Andreas has several gyms across the map in all the major cities. Apart from working out to build muscle and stamina, these gyms offer courses on different fighting styles. CJ can learn Boxing, Muay Thai, and Kung Fu at these gyms, allowing for advanced melee combat with different combos to try out.

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Among other things, some iconic Vice City vehicles should return in GTA 6, especially since the new game will be set in the same location.