GTA 6 Is Changing One of the Franchise’s Most Iconic Mechanics, And Longtime Fans Aren’t Happy
Since Grand Theft Auto 3, fans have sprinted their way to a carjacking, run away from police, or marathoned toward a new mission by tilting a stick and vigorously mashing a button on their controllers. But with a new, redefining entry into the franchise, Grand Theft Auto 6 is looking to make sprinting more in line with modern controls by moving the execution from a button to the left stick.
According to influencer MikeShowSha, who had hands-on with a demo, the sprinting command in Grand Theft Auto 6 will change from X to L3 on PlayStation 5 (or LSB on Xbox X|S). Players will no longer need to mash a button in order to continuously keep sprinting, and will presumably only need to push L3 or LSB. Although the longtime mechanic has become an iconic function in the Grand Theft Auto series, some fans are unhappy to see the change for a myriad of reasons, such as a lack of immersion to possible stick drift issues.
This GTA 6 Change Brings More Questions Than Answers
Changing sprinting from a button to the left stick may sound like a simple change upon initial mention. However, the news brings up more questions than it answers For instance, does pressing one of the sticks mean auto-sprinting will be enabled? Or will players have to hold onto the stick to keep the sprinting mechanic going? Although less likely, will players be expected to mash the left stick continuously the same way they would a button? It also hasn’t been confirmed whether or not GTA 6 will have a more classic controller layout option for players who just aren’t interested in the new changes. But according to Rockstar Games, the sprinting change was done in part to help movement look more “fluid” during gameplay.
“Tapping X is more realistic tho because you damn sure get tired of tapping that s**t just like you get tired of running in real life,” one user on X said in response to the mechanic change. Some added that tapping a button is a tradition and Grand Theft Auto staple, while others say the mechanic is archaic and has been in desperate need of a change. Some on X are even willing to wait till the game arrives on PC so that they can map out the buttons themselves.
This is only one of the latest changes confirmed for Grand Theft Auto 6 as it revamps its wanted system and violence features. It makes sense to update how players are able to run in Grand Theft Auto 6, not only given the newer trends of linking sprinting to the left stick in modern games, but also to smooth out how characters run. Sprinting, even in Grand Theft Auto 5, can look janky due to how the mechanic is executed. And if the motion of characters running is being improved to look more realistic and fluid, then executing how these characters run must change as well to something more streamlined. Although older players will indeed miss mashing a button to run, as we’ve done for several sequels now, the change isn’t superfluous, and there is a valid reason for it that we must welcome as Grand Theft Auto ushers itself into a new generation.