The Weapon Wheel Is Back: Rockstar Spent Months, Maybe Years, Trying to Replace It
Bloomberg's Jason Schreier says Rockstar wanted a Red Dead Redemption 2-style loadout limit for GTA 6, tried weapon trays, web menus and even no selection screen at all, then returned to the weapon wheel after months or years. He also notes planning began in 2015 and that GTA 6's roads are far narrower than GTA 5's.
Overview
Bloomberg's Jason Schreier followed his October 14 GTA 6 feature with a video of details that didn't make the piece. The one that travelled furthest: the weapon wheel is back.
Interviewing at Rockstar North in Edinburgh, development lead Rob Nelson explained that the team wanted a Red Dead Redemption 2-style loadout system — you choose a kit and carry a limited number of weapons, instead of pulling a rocket launcher out of thin air as in GTA 5.
The problem followed immediately: a wheel with mostly empty slots constantly reminds you what you can't carry. So the team went looking for alternatives. In Schreier's words:
"They spent months, if not years, trying a million different things that would replace the weapon wheel. They tried trays and webs and all sorts of different things in the UI."
They even tested removing the selection screen entirely. After all of that, the final game "just wound up back at a weapon wheel."
Why it's more than a UI anecdote: the menu survives, but the rules underneath may not. GTA 5's wheel offered near-unlimited access; Red Dead 2 left most of the arsenal on the horse. GTA 6 reportedly keeps the wheel's speed while forcing a smaller active loadout — a gun left in the vehicle isn't in your hands when a fight starts. Rockstar hasn't said how many weapons that means, so the carrying limit is reported but undetailed.
Two more pieces of context came from the same session: GTA 6 planning began in 2015 (the first Miami research trip that year, with some artists on it for over 11 years) under the internal name Project Americas; and art director Aaron Garbett says GTA 6's roads are far narrower than GTA 5's, whose wide streets felt closer to a racing game — a decision made from the start that rippled through the whole map, forcing denser buildings and environments.
Related: Bloomberg development feature · Mission-route statement · Extended Look: heists & stealth