Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson has shared more about Criminal Profile, GTA 6's reputation system, in an interview with Edge magazine. It tracks how Jason and Lucia go about their crimes and places them on a scale from "Professional" to "Irredeemable" — and Rockstar says it will shape how the story unfolds.
The scale runs from an angel to a devil
As PC Gamer reports from Nelson's Edge interview, Criminal Profile is represented by angel and devil icons, with "Professional" at one end and "Irredeemable" at the other.
The game isn't asking you to be a saint or obey every traffic law. It's about how much violence you dish out: a professional might incapacitate an opponent rather than kill them, or get what they want through intimidation or a bribe. Rockstar has confirmed your profile will affect how the story plays out.
Nelson doesn't want the leads to feel all-powerful
Nelson previously discussed the system in an IGN preview. "There isn't a right or wrong way to play this game, but consistent actions may have an impact in terms of how the world reacts to you and how the narrative plays out," he said. Small acts of kindness help, too — binning litter or feeding the birds in a park.
The reasoning is that Jason and Lucia are criminals on the run, so it makes sense for them to avoid unnecessary attention. "I think in previous GTA games you were a bit all-powerful," Nelson said. "Apart from the police, everyone would run in terror from you if you started acting out. This world in GTA 6 is not like that." Taunt the locals in Leonida and some of them will pick a fight.
It's Rockstar's take on Red Dead Redemption 2's honor system
The comparison is obvious: in Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan's honor shifted with his choices and influenced the ending. The difference is that GTA 6 doesn't judge good versus evil so much as your style as a criminal — clean or bloody. Rockstar hasn't yet said how many tiers sit between the two extremes or exactly how the profile changes missions.
If your usual GTA run involves rocket launchers on the sidewalk, this is a reason to try a quieter approach at least once, if only to see a different version of the story. Everything we know so far is on our GTA 6 page.