Systems · on the record from Rockstar North
Stealing cars in GTA 6: security tiers, the WAINK scanner, and why one button no longer takes any car
The least-covered change from the previews is the one you will feel first. This page states what Rob Nelson said about taking cars, and what the tools are.
Short answer: Vehicles are stratified by security. Old cars take a slim jim, a smashed window or a hot-wire. High-end cars have electronic keys that need a cloning device you must acquire, and some tools unlock only later in the story. A handheld scanner, the WAINK, reads a car’s security tier, its value and what it costs to register as your own. Stolen cars can be sold to a fence.
Where this comes from: Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, demonstrated the game to invited creators at Rockstar North in late August 2026 and spoke on the record to IGN and the New York Times. Creators watched; nobody outside Rockstar has played it.
Why it changed
Nelson, on pressing one button to take any vehicle: it "left a lot of potential gameplay on the table." The replacement is a set of tiers. Older cars are the quick ones: slim jim, smashed window, hot-wire. High-end cars carry electronic keys and need a cloning device that has to be acquired, and some of the tools only unlock later in the story.
The WAINK scanner
Hold it up to a car and it reads three things: the security tier, the value, and the cost to register the car as a personal vehicle. Jason and Lucia can each own multiple personal vehicles, and the phone carries a personal-vehicle summon that single player has never had.
Trackers and fences
All vehicles carry trackers. Some advanced trackers report your position to police if you drive below a certain speed. Fences strip trackers and buy stolen cars; Pay and Sprays return; neither is available from the start. How the police use all of this is on the wanted system page.
Fuel, and narrower streets
Cars need fuel and EVs need charging. Nelson also said: "The streets in this game are narrower, and more realistic in terms of scale." Both change how a getaway feels before the police are involved.
What you get without stealing anything
The Ultimate Edition names seven vehicle items, including the ’95 Grotti Cheetah, the ’67 Vapid Dominator Buggy and this Ganado Retro Build; the list and prices are on the editions page.
How we know: Rob Nelson at the Rockstar North creator sessions, as reported in IGN’s car-steal piece and its wanted-system piece (28 August 2026) and TGG’s first impressions video (27 August 2026). Quotes verbatim. Ultimate Edition vehicles from Rockstar Support and the PlayStation Store listing.
Last checked: 16 September 2026. This page is updated in place when Rockstar publishes more; the date above moves when it does.