The GTA games have built a reputation for being some of gaming’s greatest sandboxes. From driving cars and other types of vehicles to side activities like tennis, the franchise has offered endless amounts of activities and content over the years.
Melee combat also makes up a large portion of GTA’s gameplay, allowing players to get up and close with their opponents when in a pinch. However, this part of the franchise has historically been weaker than it should be. In my opinion, it’s time for Rockstar to completely revamp the IP's melee systems with GTA 6.
GTA 5's Dated Melee Combat
It’s no secret that GTA 5 didn’t have the best unarmed combat. The hand-to-hand fights in GTA 5 primarily consisted of floaty and sluggish animations, which barely felt satisfying. Enemies were also quick to die, and I would say that the entire combat system looked and felt silly at times due to how characters wobbled upon being hit.
Not only did the combat lack a sense of impact, but it also felt like an incomplete part of an otherwise exceptional game. Elsewhere, there was the problem of characters having a magnet-like pull to their punches, which meant that running into a punch would allow characters to lunge to unrealistic distances when initiating a fight.
Animations aside, the combat system itself was quite barebones, consisting mainly of very basic pushing, punching, and kicking. I don’t expect depth quite on par with Mortal Kombat or Tekken in GTA, but surely Rockstar can do a lot better in 2026.
GTA 6 Should Learn From The Best
If it wasn’t apparent enough by now, I wasn’t the biggest fan of how Rockstar handled combat in GTA 5. Fortunately, Red Dead Redemption 2 brought some notable improvements to the system.
In addition to adding more depth to the core mechanics, the game improved the animations to add more impact to each hit and maneuver. Because Arthur, in general, had a greater sense of heft and weight to his movement, the combat felt hard-hitting and lifelike. Between tackles, throws, and a few environmental interactions, Red Dead Redemption 2 improved practically everything about Rockstar’s approach to fist fights.
However, because GTA has never been one for realism, I feel a similar system would not work too well in GTA 6. Instead, Rockstar should look toward the likes of Sleeping Dogs, Yakuza, and The Last of Us as examples of games that offer arcade-like melee systems that are miles more satisfying than anything the GTA series has done.
For instance, a few combos akin to Sleeping Dogs’ martial arts-based gameplay would do wonders for GTA 6. This approach would give the combat more flair than past games while also adding depth that fans have been craving for decades. Rockstar could also add its own touch to the system by implementing moves seen in the UFC or other mixed martial arts competitions. This was already part of past GTA titles since GTA 4 featured moves like spinning back fists.
On the other hand, Naughty Dog’s animations from The Last of Us Part 2 highlight how a game can portray unparalleled impact with each hit while maintaining a brisk pace. In particular, Rockstar could take cues from Abby’s combat sections since they combined both speed and impact for solid moment-to-moment gameplay.
I would also like to see GTA 6 add more environmental interactions into the mix. The ability to pick up certain objects like traffic cones or use cars and walls as an extension of the moment-to-moment fights would add some much-needed variety to GTA’s combat.
Making The Definitive GTA Experience
Given Rockstar’s recent track record, fans will be playing GTA 6 for at least a full decade. The wait for another GTA title could be even longer, depending on how lucrative GTA Online proves to be this time and whether the team pivots to a new IP after its upcoming release.
This means that GTA 6 needs to nail as many elements as it can to come up with the perfect GTA title. As Strauss Zelnick puts it, Rockstar is aiming for perfection, so there is little room for error.
Also, the bar for melee combat is much higher today than it used to be. Other big studios like CDPR are striving to address criticism regarding The Witcher 3’s core combat system, and I think it’s fair to expect Rockstar to do the same with its biggest franchise. In fact, with practically infinite resources at its hand and no lack of talent, there is simply no excuse for Rockstar to produce lackluster melee systems like those seen in GTA 5 again.
GTA 6 seems to have all the makings of a generational classic, so it would truly be a shame to have it be held back by a lousy combat system. Let’s hope the game delivers on all fronts and exceeds expectations in every possible way.
What do you hope to see Rockstar change between GTA 5 and 6? Do you have any suggestions for hand-to-hand gameplay in the upcoming title? Let’s discuss in the comments below.
