Gamers Are Complaining That GTA VI 'Plays Exactly Like GTA 5' Because It Is Literally a GTA Sequel

Gamers are complaining that GTA VI 'plays exactly like GTA 5' because it is literally a GTA sequel, after purported gameplay footage from Rockstar Games' long-awaited title spread online, triggering sharp arguments over its graphics, movement and apparent resemblance to Grand Theft Auto V.

The footage was not released through Rockstar's official marketing channels. It was reportedly posted by a leaker following frustration over claims that GTA VI will not receive a physical disc edition, although clips carrying a cryptocurrency watermark have also circulated, complicating the stated motive.

Rockstar has not issued a public statement on the alleged gameplay clips in the material provided. The developer has reportedly sought to remove footage through copyright takedown notices, but, as ever, the internet has not exactly made that easy. IBTimes UK cannot independently verify the footage, its date, or how representative it is of the finished game.

Why Gamers Are Complaining That GTA VI Looks Like GTA V

The most striking part of the online response is not simply that people are judging footage which may be unfinished. It is that some viewers appear disappointed that Grand Theft Auto VI looks and plays like a game from the Grand Theft Auto series.

One X user, TigerDude96, wrote, 'They can keep this game, it looks terrible, we went from GTA AAA graphics to some some B studio graphics.'

Another user, profchise, compared the alleged footage unfavourably with Cyberpunk 2077, writing, 'So according to the leaks, GTA 6 visually looks worse than Cyberpunk 2077 and plays exactly like GTA 5 with minor tweaks in physics engines.'

Those reactions have travelled because they reflect a familiar pre-release pattern. A game becomes so anticipated that players effectively begin designing their own version of it years before launch. Then a rough-looking clip, stripped of context and uploaded at low quality, is treated as a final verdict. It is a mad way to assess a blockbuster game, but it is also now fairly standard online behaviour.

The criticism is not entirely meaningless. Players have waited a long time for Rockstar's next mainline Grand Theft Auto instalment, and expectation has had plenty of room to grow in the silence. Fans reasonably want evidence of technical progress, stronger animation, more responsive interactions and a world that feels meaningfully different from Los Santos.

But 'it plays like GTA V' is not necessarily the insult some people think it is. A sequel retaining the rhythm of its predecessor, while refining it, is generally how major game series work. Nobody expects a new Grand Theft Auto to suddenly behave like a survival simulator or a turn-based role-playing game.

GTA VI Debate Shows the Weight of Expectation

X user teyrns wrote, 'I actually don't think GTA 6 looks bad at all but i guess i was the only person on the planet expecting it to be another GTA game.'

That response gets closer to the actual dispute. The leaked clips, if genuine, appear to have become a proxy for a bigger question about what people believe Rockstar owes them after such a long gap. For some, an updated version of the established GTA formula is the point. For others, anything less than a dramatic reinvention feels like a let-down.

The available footage cannot settle that argument. It is unclear when it was captured, which platform it represents, whether its visual settings were final, or how much of the game's systems it actually shows.

A short leak might reveal a character walking, driving or interacting with a few objects, but it cannot demonstrate the full scale of mission design, writing, world detail or progression.

Rockstar's reported plans for a Netflix reveal on 27 August could offer the first clearer basis for comparison. Until then, the online verdict rests on fragments, compression and guesswork, which is not much to build a £60-plus judgement around.