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GTA VI Guide · Wanted Level

GTA VI Wanted Level

Six stars are back — and for the first time the police have to actually know who they are looking for.

Last updated 30 August 2026 · Compiled from the Extended Look and named press coverage

Two changes matter here, and only one of them is the star count.

The six-star wanted level returns, after GTA V capped at five. But the bigger shift is that a crime now has to be witnessed or trigger an alarm before it is reported at all — and once it is, the police build a picture of you rather than simply knowing where you are.

The indicators — what the police know

Alongside the stars, small icons show what has actually been identified. Rob Nelson described them as covering “their clothes, their faces, their car, and the fact that they're together.”

  • Your face — identity known, so a haircut or a mask changes things.
  • Your clothes — a change of outfit breaks the description.
  • Your vehicle — Nelson: “the police know what we're driving, so we should just jump out of the vehicle.”
  • That you are a couple — being seen as a pair is itself a lead. Nelson: “You could split up, and that will also help lower the police's perception of you.”
Sources disagree on the exact set. Nelson names four. A convenience-store robbery shown in the Extended Look points to five: CCTV, being seen as a couple, clothes, identity, and the weapon used. We are not going to pick one and present it as settled — the four Nelson named directly are the only ones confirmed from Rockstar's own mouth.

Star states

The stars themselves change appearance to signal how much trouble you are actually in.

Active pursuit. Police have a direct line of sight on you right now.
Solid
You have heat and have evaded pursuit, but only the indicators above still need clearing.
Red
Getting close to losing the cops entirely.
Blinking
Police have been dispatched but do not yet know who they are looking for.
Hollow
This four-state breakdown (solid / red / blinking / hollow) comes from community analysis of the Extended Look footage rather than a Rockstar statement naming all four explicitly. Treat it as the best current reading rather than a confirmed spec.

Losing the cops

The old GTA V approach — drive fast in a straight line until the circle clears — is much weaker here, because the police are tracking attributes rather than only a position.

  • Ditch the car if the vehicle indicator is lit. Keeping it is keeping a description.
  • Change clothes. A change of outfit, and even a haircut, are shown as genuine evasion tools.
  • Split up. Being a pair is part of the description, so separating degrades it.
  • Go on foot through alleys rather than committing to a chase.

There is also a genuine visibility change: the police no longer sit on your minimap by default. The minimap instead shows your waypoint, and you use the Focus mechanic to actually see where officers are.

Prevention beats evasion

Because a crime must be witnessed or set off an alarm to be reported, the cheapest wanted level is the one that never starts. Taking out a camera, avoiding bystanders, or simply not being seen leaving is now a real tactic rather than flavour.

gtavi.tips is a fan guide. Everything here is compiled from the official Extended Look, Rockstar Games / Take-Two material and named press reporting. GTA VI is not out yet and details can change before 19 November 2026. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

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