Systems · on the record from Rockstar North
GTA 6 wanted system explained: no police dots, two search zones, and a car that remembers you
Rockstar rebuilt the chase. This page states what Rob Nelson said and what the Extended Look showed, and separates the two.
Short answer: There are no police dots on the minimap, by design. Below six stars the map shows two search zones, a dark red circle at the crime and a lighter ring beyond; clear the outer ring and the hunt ends. Six stars returns and is hard to reach. Police remember your car, clothes, weapon and whether Jason and Lucia are together. Every vehicle carries a tracker; fences strip them; burning the getaway car does not clear a wanted level.
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. Anything marked described below was said, not shown.
No dots, on purpose
Nelson on GTA V: "we just stared at the mini map." So the minimap no longer shows police. Below six stars it shows two search zones instead, a dark red circle at the crime and a lighter ring beyond it; clearing the outer ring ends the hunt. Six stars returns, is hard to reach, and sends police across the whole map.
What the police remember
The car, the clothes, the weapon, and whether Jason and Lucia are together, so splitting up is a tactic. IGN reported the same independently. IGN’s wanted-system piece describes three HUD icons for description, clothing and CCTV, and a hollow star. Countermeasures on the record: a clothing store, a haircut, a mask, and a change of outfit in your personal vehicle.
Trackers, fences and Pay and Spray
All vehicles carry trackers, and every police car has one. Fences strip trackers. Pay and Sprays return. Neither is available from the start. Some advanced trackers report your position to police if you drive below a certain speed, which turns a slow getaway into a bad one.
What does not clear heat
Burning the getaway vehicle. This one is shown, not described: in An Extended Look, swapping a black sedan for a maroon van left the wanted level at four stars.
Related systems
Heat is the second of three systems the previews put on the record. The first is Criminal Profile; the third, which the trackers connect to, is stealing cars.
How we know: Rob Nelson at the Rockstar North creator sessions, as reported in TGG’s first impressions video (27 August 2026) and IGN’s wanted-system piece (28 August 2026). The four-star observation is first-hand from An Extended Look (27 August 2026). Nothing on this page is from a leak.
Last checked: 16 September 2026. This page is updated in place when Rockstar publishes more; the date above moves when it does.