Over the last 48 hours, leaked gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto 6 has spread across the internet. And these clips seem to indicate that GTA 6 will feature some sort of fuel mechanic, possibly forcing players to stop and gas up their cars periodically while driving. This has reignited a long-simmering debate in the GTA fandom over the topic of cars needing gas. Some players are excited for the added immersion. Others hope Rockstar lets them turn the feature off.
On August 18, a person going by the alias Cyberleek posted what appears to be early gameplay footage of GTA 6. This person also shared what looks to be the game’s full map, as well as another gameplay clip on Wednesday. In some of the leaked gameplay footage, you can spot an icon that seems to indicate how much fuel is in the car’s gas tank via a meter around the icon that depletes over time. This fuel gauge icon can be spotted in two different clips when Jason enters different vehicles, including a semi-truck and a car.
Because these leaks could be from older builds, we currently have no idea if this feature is actually going to be in the game or how it will work.
But online, a majority of the GTA community is assuming the fuel gauge icon will be in the main game, and that it does indicate that players will need to manage their car’s gas and fill up from time to time while playing. For many in the GTA fandom, this is a huge detail that some are excited about and others are already dreading.
One of the most active and top-rated posts on the GTA 6 Unmoderated subreddit is simply a screenshot of the fuel gauge seen in a recent leak with the title “FUEL?” Below this is over 230 comments.
“OH FUCK YES,” exclaimed one GTA fan below the Reddit post. “Hell yeah,” posted another user. “Finally,” commented one person, directly referencing how many fans have long wanted this mechanic to be added to the franchise. Meanwhile, you can also find plenty of negative reactions in those same comments.
“Can someone explain to me the appeal of having to refuel your digital car every half an hour?” asked one person. “I get that people want realism…but this is not the type of realism that seems like it would be fun.”
“I hope it’s toggleable,” posted a fan. “It’s nice to have, but like the hunger/hydration system in survival games or equipment durability, I usually prefer playing without.”
“I understand the appeal,” said a different user on Reddit. “But this being mandatory isn’t something that I want to deal with. If you could toggle it on/off or something, then that would be great. You guys say it’s for immersion, but I was already perfectly fine and immersed before this mechanic. I don’t need that. I honestly feel like it would take me out of the game if I had to stop what I was doing to fill up the car.”
Over on Twitter, reaction to having to possibly fuel up your cars in GTA 6 is equally mixed.
Fuelling in a GTA game seems to be confirmed pic.twitter.com/x4jbIrI72L
— Doonishsan (@Doonishsan) August 18, 2026
“If that is a feature without an off switch then this is shit,” tweeted someone about the fuel gauge in GTA 6. “Nah fuck that. They need to remove that asap it has no place in a GTA game,” tweeted someone else.
Meanwhile, some GTA fans who mostly play on roleplay servers that often include fuel mechanics are trying to persuade folks that having to put gas in the tank is actually a great feature. They point out that this makes the map feel bigger and forces you to think more while driving around the world.
“I play GTA RP,” posted a Twitter user. “And the refueling has been on for years, and it makes the world feel so massive, and that’s just on GTA 5, and it gives you a sense of where you are, makes you think about driving somewhere far, and makes lots of tactical decisions.”
People have been arguing about gas in GTA for decades
As someone who has been playing GTA games since GTA 2, I’ve seen the gas debate rage on and off for decades now. And for most of this time, it had always seemed like Rockstar would never add the feature to a GTA game. I remember people spotting gas stations in screenshots of GTA IV and GTA V and assuming or hoping that this time Rockstar would finally let you fuel up your car between missions. But nope. That never happened.
But GTA 6 seems different from those previous games. It seems more influenced by Rockstar’s other big open-world game, Red Dead Redemption II. As a result, at least based on leaks, GTA 6 seems to have a bigger focus on realism and being grounded. Cars seem heavier, combat seems slower, and there seems to be more focus on having the world react to the player’s actions, including what appears to be some kind of morality system.
So it’s not surprising that Rockstar is finally (maybe) going to make players have to stop at gas stations and fill up their cars. I just hope, like many others online, that this feature doesn’t end up being annoying, but instead adds to the immersive fun of exploring Rockstar’s massive, highly detailed open worlds.
We’ll likely learn more about any possible fuel mechanic later this month when Rockstar reveals an extended look at GTA 6 via Netflix on August 27. And if we don’t learn about it then, well, we don’t have to wait long to play GTA 6. The highly anticipated sequel is due to launch on Xbox and PS5 on November 19. And regardless of what Rockstar has ultimately decided about whether fueling up will be included in the game, a lot of players are likely to be upset.
