GTA 6 robberies, money and car theft: what the previews revealed

Money matters more than ever in GTA VI. It was one of the most repeated takeaways from the press previews published from August 27, 2026, when IGN, Famitsu, The New York Times, El País, Zeit, Kinda Funny and others watched Rockstar North head of development Rob Nelson play. Here's how you earn, steal and lose cash in Leonida.

You'll need money to progress

Story missions don't pay enough on their own: some require a minimum amount of cash before you can start them, so you'll have to make a living in the open world (IGN, Famitsu). The options:

• Robbing stores, jewelry stores and small banks.
• Stealing and selling cars.
• Raiding gang compounds for cash or drugs to sell on; one session turned up more than $4,500 in drugs (Flow Games, confirmed by Nelson).
• Legit activities like monster truck racing, diving for treasure or pool (The New York Times).

Robberies

According to Zeit and Flow Games, every store can be robbed, and these aren't fixed missions. What reporters saw:

• You can go solo or as a pair, splitting roles: one handles hostages while the other grabs the loot (El País, Zeit).
• There are different ways in: Famitsu saw a stealthy back-door entry with a lockpick, disabling cameras and security to leave unnoticed.
• Safes can be blown with explosives, but that can destroy some of the loot; the alternative is to search the place for the combination, which gives police more time (IGN).
• Jewelry stores and banks pay more but have tougher security and police responses (Famitsu). In the bank robbery The New York Times saw, the pair escaped with marked bills that had to go to a fence before they could be spent.
• Nothing is guaranteed: in Kinda Funny's demo, another woman tried to rob the same store at the same time, and Zeit watched the pair flee a jewelry store without cracking the safe once sirens sounded.

Stolen goods don't turn into cash on their own: you sell them to fences, some for jewelry and others for cars, who can also give you tips (IGN).

Carried cash can be lost

That's per Famitsu, Esquire and Kinda Funny. The obvious advice: after a good score, hit an ATM before getting into more trouble.

How car theft works

Stealing a parked car is no longer just smashing a window (IGN, El País, Flow Games):

• Cars have security tiers: alarms, electronic locks and trackers. Older cars can be opened by smashing a window, using a tool or hot-wiring; modern high-end cars need a key cloner, and some can't be stolen early on because you lack the tools.
• The WAINK phone app scans parked cars and shows their value, registration cost, lock type, alarm and whether there's a tracker.
• Cars with trackers alert police if you're too slow, and fences can remove them later on (IGN, Famitsu).
• Carjacking is still in, but the driver may comply, refuse or shoot you (Famitsu).

When it comes to selling, Famitsu says Pay 'n' Spray checks a car's value, repairs it, repaints it and registers it as yours, with a cooldown between sales at each shop. Flow Games saw wildly different offers for the same car: around $21,000 from a specialist fence, $10,000 from another buyer and $1,500 at a Pay 'n' Spray. Damage lowers the price, and with narrower streets and heavier traffic, delivering a pristine car is a challenge.

You also start with three personal vehicle slots and can buy more garages; unregistered stolen cars eventually disappear (Famitsu). The Scooter Bros app delivers your car to you wherever you are.

Our take

Rockstar has turned money into a driver of play rather than a number that piles up pointlessly, as it did halfway through GTA V. Planning a job, choosing fences and stopping at the ATM feels like a crime RPG, and it ties neatly into the new police and Criminal Profile systems. Some of this comes from reporters' and creators' recollections, so details may change before November 19.