Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, gave Japan’s Famitsu an interview published on August 28, a day after the Extended Look. GTAVice.net later translated it into English. We checked the details below against the Japanese original and left out what the video already showed.
Jason and Lucia as a couple
The game shows a status for their relationship next to their bank balance. Player choices decide whether they stay a couple or become simple partners in crime. When the bond weakens, actions like holding hands or kissing disappear, but the relationship can be repaired. Nelson said Rockstar picked two protagonists instead of GTA 5’s three so that players would get more attached to them.
Money
Story missions alone won’t earn enough to move the story forward, so you also make money in the open world. Cash in your pocket can be lost when you’re wasted or busted. Money in the bank is safe.
Police and witnesses
A wanted level needs a witness: a pedestrian who sees the crime and calls the police. To shake a chase you leave the heat area. The criminal profile rates whether you act like a professional or a violent, dangerous criminal, and people in the world react to match.
Guns
Long guns can’t be hidden. You keep them in an Ammu-Nation locker, in your own car or in the trunk of a stolen one. A visible gun makes pedestrians leave or turn aggressive and can bring the police. There’s also suppressive fire: shooting near someone, not at them, to make room to escape.
Robbing a store
You can slip in with a lock pick, switch off the cameras and alarms and leave unnoticed. Forcing the door sets off the alarm, and the police come.
The gym
Three exercises a day for three days in a row raise your stats. Each workout drains stamina, and you have to keep your balance and pace. A protein shake or bar afterwards gives a temporary boost.
Hideouts and garages
Hideouts change from chapter to chapter, like the camps in Red Dead Redemption 2, and the people there follow daily routines. Early on, the garage holds three vehicles. More garages can be bought around the map.
Clothes and hair
Rockstar has prepared thousands of outfits. Hair is changed at salons around the map; hideouts offer only a few options.
The world
Roads are narrower, closer to real width, and traffic is heavier. For the first time in the series, pedestrians differ in height and build. Unexplored parts of the map stay hidden until you visit them. The story starts in the Leonida Keys, where Jason’s first house is.
The phone
While Jason and Lucia are in hiding, they can’t post on social media, but they can read other people’s posts. The phone has video streaming, fitness, banking and messaging apps. Other characters in the world go live, and you can run into their streams.
Jason’s past
Jason is a former special forces soldier. Nelson said that is why an early action-heavy mission is played as him. He also confirmed the November 19 release date.
