Speed or loot, the cordon or a second exit — and the money unlocks the story.
* File coverage = (Confirmed + Solid) ÷ (all facts + open questions). It measures how solid the file is — not how “ready” the game is.
Don't read it — play it. Every verb is an action in the game; the screen reacts the way the evidence says it should.
Original LI design built on the file's evidence — HUD grammar, not Rockstar material. Every step shows the evidence that backs it.
Heists are the core of the story16 — and now we know they come with real dilemmas. At the safe: you blow it fast and part of the take burns, or you go slow with the police on the way62▶. Outside: the cordon can be set up waiting for you — second exits are part of the design64▶.
And the money isn't decoration: at points in the campaign a specific amount of capital is required for you to move forward63 — the heist is progression too, not just score.
Bank heists are at the core of the story.
Source: Raul Bautista's official bio (“an experienced bank robber... looking for talent”) + the Trailer 2 heist. Shift 27/8: Source upgrade, same label: the armored-truck heist job with Raul was shown in full gameplay (el-05) — from statements/bio to demonstrated mechanics.
Safe: you blow it fast and part of the loot burns — or you work out the combination slowly, with the police on the way.
The speed-vs-loot dilemma as Rockstar presented it: every heist is a risk choice, not a scripted scene.
Money unlocks the story: at points in the campaign a specific amount of capital is required to move forward.
From IGN's preview at Rockstar North: money matters to the plot more than in any previous GTA — you build up capital so the main missions can continue.
The police can surround you and wait outside — second exits are part of the heists' design.
The cops don't always charge in: they can set up a cordon and force you to think — that's why alternate escape routes exist.
You have a bank account on top of your cash — and on “Wasted” or “Busted” you lose all the cash you're carrying on you.
“Besides the cash you carry, you also have your own bank account. Cash is at risk of being lost in a Wasted or Busted state — and if a cop or a civilian takes you down because you caused trouble, you lose all of it, so it's better to deposit it somewhere safe” (Nelson, Famitsu). He said it in the flow about the revamped wanted system — meaning the deposit is part of the risk calculation before every job, not a decorative app. “Busted” was already Confirmed (c-054); here we learn what it costs you. There is a banking app on the phone (c-142). CORRECTION 4/9: the original wording said “everything you carry on you” — the source says explicitly “cash”, and only that. It was narrowed, because the broader “whatever you carry” visibly contradicted c-131 (weapons always end up in the locker or the trunk).
Missions on their own do NOT give enough money for the story to move forward — the money is made in the open world, and that's what unlocks the campaign.
“With missions alone you don't earn enough money to advance the story. By making money in the open world, you gain the ability to advance the story” (Nelson, Famitsu) — declarative and categorical. They position it as the solution to an old problem of the series: “In previous games the missions and the actions in the open world were somewhat disconnected”; in RDR2 they came closer, here they “were fully unified”. c-063 already said that the money unlocks the story; THIS is the complementary half — WHERE it comes from. In practice: the open world isn't optional.
In heists as a duo you pick the role: you drive as Lucia with Jason shooting, or you leave her at the wheel and play Jason — she drives just as well.
“If the two of you rob a place and the police chase you, the player can control Lucia driving and leave the shooting to Jason. Lucia's driving skill is excellent too, so conversely you can leave her the wheel and control Jason shooting” (Nelson, Famitsu) — both splits are available, explicitly in both directions. Answers u-bond-3. Full picture: in the open world and on jobs you choose — in designed missions the role may be set or even switched by force (c-153). c-069 had only “one drives, the other shoots”; here we learn WHO decides.
Store robbery with no traces: you go in through the back door with a snap gun, smash the cameras, disable the alarm — and leave without anyone finding out what happened.
Nelson's description in Famitsu, step by step: “You go in through the back door so they don't notice you — if you kick it in, the alarm goes off. You have a snap gun (a special lock-picking tool), so you get in quietly. Inside, if you destroy the cameras, nobody sees you; if you disable the security system, no alarm goes off. That way you can take the cash from the register on the sly — and if you simply walk away, nobody will ever find out what happened here”. The flip side: if you're seen getting ready with your gun out in front of the store, a helpful passer-by calls the police and they're waiting for you at the exit.
The map shows the gang hideouts AND how much cash or drugs they're holding — you sneak in and take it; the drugs go to the fence.
“From the map you get all kinds of information: you check the gang hideouts, sneak inside and take cash or drugs. The map also shows how much cash or drugs is stashed in each hideout — and the drugs you grabbed you take to the fence” (Nelson, Famitsu). In the same breath: “You can hit jewelry stores or small banks, alone or the two of you”. It's the practical side of c-147: the open world has visible, measurable income.
Every shared activity feeds the Jason-Lucia bond: robberies, billiards, mini golf, kayaking, diving, parachuting, walking on the beach.
In the full transcript of the July demo at Rockstar North (published today by IGN as “GTA 6: The Big Interview” — the same demo that produced the first impressions in August, now in full Q&A form), Rob Nelson, co-studio head and head of development at Rockstar North, explicitly listed which activities count as “quality time” for the bond: “You manage the relationship the way you'd take care of any relationship — by spending time together. Being out in the open world and exploring together, or doing activities together — billiards, mini golf, kayaking, just everyday things. Or robbing stores together, robbing banks together. Whatever way players choose to spend that time together, it'll have a positive effect on the relationship.” A little later in the same demo, he gave a more detailed list: “All of that counts as quality time for Jason and Lucia: robbing together, walking hand in hand, going to the zoo, studying wildlife, scuba diving, skydiving, a walk on the beach, kayaking…” What this adds to the Archive: until now the only confirmed example of a shared activity that “counts” was fishing with Cal (c-086, An Extended Look) — this is the first time Rockstar has explicitly given a full, named list. Answers u-activities-3. Update 16/10 (Bloomberg, see #c-267): in the same demo, Jason asks Lucia out, they walk hand in hand, exchange a kiss, and go to the gym together (Jason does squats, Lucia runs on a treadmill) — new specific bonding activities beyond the already known list.
Mission design was deliberately opened up — multiple routes/ways to complete missions where possible, without losing narrative quality.
In the same interview, Nelson explained the general mission design philosophy (translated): “The narrative has to take precedence sometimes — at least for us. For the story to progress in a believable way, you have to hit certain beats, so in those cases we somehow have to guide the experience. But with this game we made a very conscious effort to open things up wherever possible, without degrading the quality of the experience”. He gave two specific examples: the first mission seen in Netflix's preview video, where the duo tries to get out of a tower block, has multiple exit routes; and the mission where they meet Raul — a police chase where one drives and the other shoots (see c-153/c-173): “There's an optimal route you're told to follow to get out, but if you don't follow it, you can still get out — the mission is essentially a police chase”. What this adds: it clarifies that the escape/approach flexibility we already knew about in specific systems (second exits in heists, c-064; switching between driving and shooting, c-153) is an expression of a deliberate, general mission design principle — not an isolated exception.
Some story missions unlock only depending on the player's current income — simply completing missions isn't enough to advance the plot.
The full digital issue of Game Informer (29/9) reports that money “matters more than ever” in GTA 6: certain missions become available only depending on the player's current income — not simply by completing the previous missions. No named executive is cited in the available secondary excerpts (GTA BOOM) — journalistic reporting, which is why it's Solid. It expands/colors the already-known heist mechanic where “money unlocks the story” (see Heists system, u-heists-3) — here it's clarified that the key amount relates to current income, not a fixed number, though it's not clear whether this applies exclusively to heists or to missions more broadly.
Crimes become less predictable: a robbery victim may resist, a bystander may intervene in a gas station robbery, or other drivers may challenge you to a street race during your getaway.
Edge #430 gives three concrete examples of how much less scripted-predictable Rockstar wants GTA 6's crime scenes to be: a street robbery victim may resist instead of giving in, a gas station customer may intervene during a robbery, and other drivers on the getaway route can challenge you unexpectedly to an impromptu street race. This adds to the already-known pattern of resident resistance (c-134, c-156) with additional, unscripted variations. Description of the piece via VICE (29/10), without a named quote. Ceiling Solid.
The edge of what we know, in public. When something gets answered, it isn't deleted — it stays here, struck through, pointing to the evidence that solved it.
How many heists does the campaign have — and are they repeatable?
What would settle it: Reviews and playthroughs at launch; no official number to date.
Is there a GTA V-style prep phase — crew, gear, approaches — or is each job self-contained?
What would settle it: New official material or hands-on; the Extended Look showed one job from the middle onward.
Are the amounts that “unlock” chapters fixed or do they adjust?
What would settle it: The final numbers on 19/11 — a committed update to the Guides. Partial answer (1/10, Game Informer, c-208): the key amount relates to the player's current income — so it adjusts, it's not fixed; it remains unclear whether this applies to all heists or to missions more broadly.