Grand Theft Auto 6,as practically everyone in the world now knows, hasmoved from a 2025 launch windowto a August 12, 2025 release date. On the upside, that means there’s plenty of time for fans to overanalyze every frame of the two current trailers and speculate on whatGTA 6has in store next year. While no features have been confirmed explicitly by Rockstar Games, the development company behind the long-running series,some long-lost features could – and should – make a comeback.
One of the most entertaining features in anyGTAgame wasthe muscle and weight gain mechanic ofGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Managing food and exercise might sound like a pain in a game likeGTA,where players mostly want to run and gun, but it actually provided a very fun way to alter the experience by gaining and losing certain combat skills.
Building Muscles In San Andreas Was A Great Mechanic
Managing Food Was Important To Keeping CJ In Peak Condition
Two decades after its release,Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasremains one of the most belovedGTAgames. In it, players take on the role of CJ as he returns to San Andreas and its cities—Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas—to fight a gang war and investigate his mother’s death. Like mostGTAgames, the gameplay ofSan Andreasfocuses on cars and guns, butan additional mechanic allowed players to modify CJ’s weight and muscle massthrough his diet and exercise.
Working out or gaining weight weren’t just aesthetic changes to CJ, asspending time at the gym built CJ’s stamina and strength and modified gameplayin a lot of interesting ways. When in peak condition, CJ could strengthen his hand-to-hand combat to take out enemies faster and run faster for longer periods of time. However, it was easy to lose weight and, in turn, muscle mass if players forgot to feed CJ regularly.
To keep up with CJ’s fitness regime,players would need to keep him on a regular diet of Cluckin' Bell, Burger Shot, or Well Stacked Pizza. These iconic fast-food restaurants were actually more important than they might seem, since CJ had to eat somewhat frequently to avoid becoming weaker and slower over time. Eventually, CJ could even face the worst-case scenario of starving to death.
This mechanic is incredibly weird and fun, and it should make its return to the series inGTA 6. While players could train their stamina and skills inGTA 5to become faster and stronger over time,it wasn’t nearly as fun as the weight and muscle mechanic inSan Andreas.Making sure CJ doesn’t get too skinny to throw a punch by stocking up on burritos and chicken wings at Cluckin' Bell was a great way to interact with both the world in the game and to modify the overall gameplay experience.
GTA 6 Has The Opportunity To Bring Back Lost RPG Elements
More Interactivity In Vice City Would Make The City Feel More Alive
It’s been over a decade since the lastGTAgame came out, which meansthere are years’ worth of expectations being piled ontoGTA 6. Rockstar’s track record gives the game a good shot at being a next-gen masterpiece, but it could still benefit from taking this opportunity to bring back some of theearlier RPG mechanicsthat made classicGTAgames so entertaining. Improving your character’s stats is a standard video game mechanic, and it was somewhat present inGTA 5, but adding in a mechanic that needs to be carefully balanced is much more fun and immersive.
It’s unlikely that Rockstar Games would be willing to let players makeJason and Lucia, two exceptionally attractive main characters, overweight by downing too many burgers in one sitting. However,GTA 6could stillbring back the muscle gain mechanic by making it important to work out occasionallyto keep stamina and strength stats up. Jason can be spotted lifting weights on the beach in the secondGTA 6trailer, which indicates that pumping iron might already be an available activity. Ideally, it should take direct effort to hit the gym to build muscle and unlock more advanced combat abilities.
