What Can You Do in GTA 6? Safehouses, Gyms and Free Roam

In this article

1. GTA 6 safehouses: closer to Red Dead 2's camps
2. Gyms, eating and weight gain in GTA 6
3. Salons, clothing stores and changing your look
4. GTA 6 activities: from pool to parachuting
5. Your phone, Focus and getting around
6. Strangers, eavesdropping and surprises
7. Our take: Red Dead's pace, GTA's city
8. FAQ

Between missions, GTA 6 lets you live in Leonida: hang out in a safehouse built to feel like home, work out at the gym, change your look at salons and stores, play pool or mini golf, go scuba diving, study animals or just listen to strangers talk. Rob Nelson, head of development at Rockstar North, told IGN there's "a ton" to do as Jason, as Lucia or as both together.

GTA 6 safehouses: closer to Red Dead 2's camps

Reported IGN's demo opened in a safehouse with both Jason and Lucia at home. Jason grabbed a drink from the fridge and picked up a romance novel from a table.

Official Nelson says GTA 6's safehouses are probably "closer to the camps in RDR2 than they are to safehouses in any GTA game," both in how interactive they are and in how much they feel like home. Jason and Lucia can share the space, and Rockstar has put them on schedules meant to feel believable. You can switch to the other character and walk over to them; Rockstar kept switching as open as possible, though some story moments block it.

Official The safehouse in the demo isn't theirs: they're staying in someone else's house. Nelson didn't say whose. Our theory: Rockstar's official bio for Brian Heder says Jason lives rent-free at one of Brian's properties, so it could be one of those. Official Later, Nelson pointed to "Jason's little house" on the map as where they'd started. Reported Famitsu's interview with Nelson, in an English fan translation, says the story begins at Jason's first house in the Leonida Keys, and that hideouts change chapter by chapter.

Official The safehouse also offers basic grooming, but it's only reductive: you can cut your hair shorter or shave it off. For a new style, you need a salon or barber. And the partner you're not playing keeps their own routine: when Nelson switched to Jason mid-demo, he was in the shower.

Can you buy houses in GTA 6? Nothing in these interviews mentions buying property, so treat it as unconfirmed.

Gyms, eating and weight gain in GTA 6

Official GTA 6 has body stats. Nelson says there are gyms where you can work out to go up in levels of muscularity or strength, and that if you overeat, you'll put on weight. Eating also has quite a dramatic effect on your health: a substantial buff that can come in handy.

Official Take both characters to the gym and they both work out, which Nelson calls a 2-for-1 to manage their stats. Reported Famitsu's translated interview gives a routine: 3 exercises a day, 3 days in a row, to level up. Reported IGN's August coverage, which compared the system to San Andreas, reported seeing stats like sleep and calories in a menu.

Still unknown: whether muscle or weight changes how Jason and Lucia fight, run or drive, and how fast your body changes.

Salons, clothing stores and changing your look

Official Leonida has a lot of hair salons and clothing shops, Nelson says. Each one has standard stock plus items only that shop sells, to encourage you to explore, and every salon has its own signature hairstyles. In the demo, Jason and Lucia went shopping in a fashion district, and they can go to the salon together too. Very quickly, Nelson says, you can make them look very different.

Official It isn't only cosmetic. Police remember your outfit, and buying and wearing a new one removes any heat you have; you can also keep changes of clothes in your personal vehicle's trunk. Our GTA 6 wanted system guide explains why that matters.

GTA 6 activities: from pool to parachuting

Here are the activities named in Nelson's IGN interview and Game Informer's activity list:

Official Studying animals comes from Red Dead Redemption 2: it works as a collection and a way to learn about wildlife, and Nelson likes that it lets you engage with nature without having to shoot it all. Reported IGN noticed a "study" option when Nelson petted a dog.

Official Many of these double as dates. Nelson says time together, from mini golf to robbing a bank, strengthens Jason and Lucia's relationship; see our relationship system guide.

Your phone, Focus and getting around

• Snapmatic. Official The social app returns: you follow people and browse. You can't post as Jason or Lucia, because they're a couple on the run. As Nelson puts it: "You just lurk."
• The car scanner. Official Point your phone at a car to see its security, tracker and value; our car theft guide explains it.
• Focus. Official Nelson says it's very similar to Red Dead's Eagle Eye: it helps you locate things you want to find on the map, and cops. Reported In the demo, it made a nearby officer glow.
• Quick waypoints. Official Hold down on the D-pad to set one.
• Ryde Me. Official The rideshare app doubles as fast travel, and you can ride along and chat with the other passenger.
• Your personal vehicle. Official Call it any time. It carries every weapon you've bought and spare outfits.
• Ads. Official There are more radio and in-game TV ads than ever before. A lot more, Nelson says.

Strangers, eavesdropping and surprises

Official Talking to people comes from Red Dead Redemption 2: with your gun holstered, hold L2 to lock on and greet or antagonize someone, or pull R2 to draw your weapon. Nelson says GTA 6 takes it much further. Rockstar's teams studied how real conversations rise and fall as you pass people (Nelson says you can catch 7 to 10 words and know what they're talking about), and Rockstar built an entirely new team of writers, directors and producers in Los Angeles to create that variety of dialogue.

Official Listen too long and people notice. Stand too close to a group and they'll turn around and ask if they can help you; follow someone too closely and they may get aggressive, or just try to get away. Nelson says the world acts on you now, not just the other way round, which our Criminal Profile explainer covers.

Then there are the oddballs. Reported In the demo, IGN notes, Lucia came across a man in a dumpster. Official You can give him pills or not; come back later and he gives you legal advice; you can even climb into the dumpster with him. Reported IGN says the encounter looked unplanned.

Official A lot of this isn't marked with objectives, blips or map icons, Nelson says: take some time to explore and "you will be rewarded – a lot." He also says the game is so big he doubts anyone on the team knows all of it. In 30 minutes, IGN saw only a tiny slice of the city and never reached the beach.

That's essentially what GTA 6 has as well – you can just exist.

Rob Nelson, Rockstar North, to IGN

Our take: Red Dead's pace, GTA's city

Our read: GTA 6's open world borrows Red Dead Redemption 2's best habit, giving you reasons to slow down, and puts it in a dense modern city. Safehouses that feel lived in, gyms that change your body and strangers who notice you staring all point the same way: being Jason and Lucia when nothing's happening is meant to be fun on its own.

The open question is pacing: not every GTA player wants to slow down. Nelson's answer is that you don't have to, and that the classic, chaotic GTA experience is still there if you want it. For everything else he showed IGN, read our full IGN interview breakdown.

FAQ

What can you do in GTA 6 besides missions?

Plenty: hang out at the safehouse, work out, visit salons and clothing stores, play pool or mini golf, go kayaking, scuba diving or parachuting, visit the zoo, study animals and rob stores, as Jason, as Lucia or as both.

Does GTA 6 have safehouses?

Yes. Rob Nelson says they're probably closer to Red Dead Redemption 2's camps than to earlier GTA safehouses: more interactive and more like home.

Can you buy houses in GTA 6?

None of the interviews we've covered mention buying property. In IGN's interview, Nelson only says the safehouse shown is someone else's house, and Famitsu's translated interview says hideouts change chapter by chapter.

Does GTA 6 have a gym and weight system?

Yes. Gyms raise muscularity and strength, overeating makes you gain weight, and eating gives a big health buff.

Can you post on Snapmatic in GTA 6?

No. Snapmatic is back and you can follow people and browse, but Nelson says Jason and Lucia can't post because they're a couple on the run.

Does GTA 6 have fast travel?

Yes, through Ryde Me, the in-game rideshare app. Nelson calls riding along a good way to fast travel, and you can chat with the other passenger on the way.

Sources

• IGN: GTA 6: The Big Interview, by Rachel Weber (October 7, 2026)
• IGN: GTA 6 Exclusive Preview, by Rachel Weber (August 27, 2026)
• IGN: 69 New GTA 6 Gameplay Details We Saw at Rockstar HQ (August 27, 2026)
• IGN: GTA 6 May Be Set in Vice City, but It Has San Andreas' Ambition, by Matt Purslow (August 27, 2026)
• Game Informer issue 382 cover story (September 29, 2026)
• Famitsu interview with Rob Nelson, English fan translation by iGrandTheftAuto (September 9, 2026)
• Rockstar Games: Grand Theft Auto VI

The GameSight team

We research GTA 6 from official sources and label every claim as official, reported or rumor. How we work · GameSight on YouTube