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Rockstar explains GTA 6's new weapon carry system, including concealed handguns, visible long guns, weapon storage and how NPCs react when they see firearms.
Read the original announcement for full context.
View original source| NPC reactions | Pedestrians react differently when they see the player openly carrying a gun. |
Rockstar has confirmed that long guns will remain physically visible when Jason or Lucia carries them.
Nelson explained that GTA 6 no longer treats larger firearms as invisible inventory items.
Previous Grand Theft Auto protagonists could carry an enormous collection of rifles, shotguns and heavy weapons and pull them out instantly.
GTA 6 takes a different approach.
A long gun carried by the player has to exist somewhere physically. It can be carried, stored in a vehicle or retrieved from a weapon locker.
This means players may need to think about which weapons they want before starting an activity.
Players can still keep two handguns concealed.
Nelson explained that two handguns can remain hidden on the character.
The larger restriction applies to long guns.
Players can carry two long guns at once, but both cannot simply disappear into the character's clothing.
One can be carried on the player's back while another is held.
That creates a distinction between smaller weapons that can remain concealed and larger firearms that are visible to people around Jason or Lucia.
Ammu-Nation locations will contain lockers where players can manage their long guns.
Nelson said these lockers are available at Ammu-Nation stores and can be used to retrieve weapons.
Personal vehicles can also serve as weapon storage.
This gives players another way to prepare before a mission, robbery or open-world activity without carrying every weapon at all times.
Rockstar has not yet detailed the complete weapon locker interface or exactly how many firearms can be stored.
Players can store long guns inside their personal vehicles.
Because personal vehicles can be delivered to the player's location, Nelson said accessing stored equipment should not become unnecessarily inconvenient.
Weapons can also be placed inside a stolen vehicle.
Nelson explained that the weapon remains stored there for as long as the player keeps that vehicle.
This makes cars more important to the player's loadout than they were in GTA 5.
Our GTA 6 vehicle database catalogs the vehicles currently known for Grand Theft Auto VI.
Pedestrians in GTA 6 can notice the way a player carries a gun.
Nelson explained that simply having a long gun on your back will not necessarily cause widespread panic.
Holding the weapon in your hands produces a different response.
People may become uncomfortable, move away or react aggressively because they recognize the potential threat.
The distinction is important because NPCs are not reacting only to whether the player technically owns a gun. They react to how that weapon is being presented.
The weapon system also connects directly with GTA 6's witness mechanics.
Nelson gave an example involving a store robbery. Walking toward the location while visibly carrying a gun can attract attention.
A pedestrian who sees suspicious behavior may contact police before the player finishes the robbery.
That means choosing when to draw a firearm can have consequences before a Wanted level appears.
Our GTA 6 stealth robbery guide explains how weapons, witnesses, cameras and alarms can affect a robbery.
Nelson acknowledged that pulling large weapons out of nowhere has historically been part of Grand Theft Auto's identity.
Rockstar considered whether removing that freedom could make GTA less enjoyable.
The studio ultimately decided that requiring more decisions about equipment could create additional gameplay opportunities.
GTA 6 therefore does not remove access to powerful firearms. It changes how players transport and use them.
No. Rockstar has confirmed that GTA 6 changes the traditional invisible weapon inventory for larger firearms.
Long guns must be visibly carried or stored.
Rob Nelson said players can carry two concealed handguns.
Nelson said players can carry two long guns.
One can be on the character's back while the other is carried in the player's hand.
Yes. Rockstar confirmed that long guns can be stored inside personal vehicles.
Weapons can also be placed inside a stolen vehicle while the player continues to keep that vehicle.
Yes. Nelson said Ammu-Nation locations have lockers that can be used to manage and retrieve long guns.
Yes.
NPCs can react when they see the player openly carrying a firearm. A gun on the player's back may draw less attention than a gun being actively held.
The new carry system changes one of GTA's oldest conventions.
Players can still cause the kind of chaos associated with Grand Theft Auto, but they will have to think more carefully about which weapons they are carrying and how those weapons appear to the people around them.
Combined with vehicle storage, witnesses, robberies and GTA 6's more reactive NPC population, firearms are becoming part of the game's wider simulation instead of existing only inside a weapon wheel.
Source: Famitsu's August 28, 2026 interview with Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson.
Cover image: original Goleonida editorial illustration, not an in-game screenshot.
Rockstar North's Rob Nelson explains GTA 6's reactive NPCs, police identification, car-theft tools, Criminal Profile and Jason and Lucia's optional romance.
