GTA 6 Wanted Level Explained & Police System Guide

The GTA 6 Wanted System brings a major evolution to the classic police chase mechanics of Grand Theft Auto.

In addition to the familiar Wanted Stars, Grand Theft Auto VI introduces a new heat system where police can use information about your appearance, clothing, vehicle, CCTV footage, and even your companion to track you down. This guide covers how the GTA 6 Wanted Level works, how police identify and pursue Jason and Lucia, and the different ways you can lose the cops and reduce your heat.

How the Wanted System Works in GTA 6

In GTA 6, police can build a profile of the player using:

• Physical appearance
• Clothing
• Vehicles
• CCTV footage
• Companions
• Crime location

The more information they have, the easier it is to identify and locate Jason and Lucia. Players can reduce that information by changing clothes or appearance, switching vehicles, separating Jason and Lucia, wearing masks, and leaving areas where police activity remains high.

Note: GTA 6 has not yet been released. This guide is based on information and gameplay details revealed by Rockstar Games and hands-on previews. Some mechanics and rules may change before launch.

GTA 6 Wanted Stars

GTA 6 brings back the six-star Wanted Level, last seen in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

The stars represent the severity of the police response, while new red icons beneath them show what information police have about the suspect.

The exact requirements for each Wanted Level have not yet been revealed.

GTA 6 Police Heat System

The heat system tracks the information police have gathered about a crime and its suspects.

This creates a distinction between:

• Being wanted: Police are responding to a reported crime.
• Being identified: Police have useful information that can help locate you.

A crime can therefore trigger a police response without giving law enforcement a clear description of the perpetrator.

GTA 6 Police Information Icons

Red icons beneath the Wanted Stars indicate what police know.

Physical Description Icon

Icon: Human silhouette

Police have obtained a physical description of the suspect, potentially from witnesses.

Changing your appearance can make this information outdated.

Clothing Icon

Icon: Clothes hanger

Police know what the suspect is wearing.

Changing clothes can invalidate this information, although changing only one accessory may not be enough. For example, adding a baseball cap can update the physical description while leaving the clothing information unchanged.

CCTV Icon

Icon: Camera

Police have obtained information from CCTV footage.

Being seen by security cameras can therefore help law enforcement identify and track you.

What Information Can Police Know?

The exact way these factors interact has not yet been fully explained.

Police Can Identify Your Vehicle

Police can identify the vehicle you're driving. Staying in a known vehicle can make it easier for them to find you, so abandoning or switching vehicles may help during an escape.

Changing Your Appearance and Clothes

Changing your appearance can affect the information police have about you. One confirmed example is changing your hairstyle, which can invalidate an existing physical description.

Clothing works separately. Jason and Lucia can change outfits at clothing stores, and personal vehicles can carry additional outfits in the trunk.

To fully reduce the information police have, you may need to change both your appearance and clothing.

Splitting Up Jason and Lucia

Police can identify that Jason and Lucia are together.

Separating them can reduce the police's ability to track the pair and lower their perception of the suspects. This may be useful when both characters are involved in the same crime.

GTA 6 Hot Areas

Certain locations can remain hot after criminal activity.

Police may continue patrolling these areas, and returning too soon can be dangerous. Hot areas are displayed on the map so players can see where police attention remains concentrated.

How to Clear Heat in GTA 6

Depending on the situation, you may be able to reduce police attention by:

• Escaping the immediate search
• Leaving the affected area
• Changing clothes
• Changing your hairstyle or appearance
• Switching vehicles
• Separating Jason and Lucia
• Waiting for police activity to decrease
• Avoiding identification in the first place

GTA 6 Hollow Wanted Star

A hollow Wanted Star indicates that police are responding to a reported crime but do not have information identifying the perpetrator.

This can happen when a crime is reported without witnesses or surveillance footage providing useful details.

Avoiding identification can therefore be as important as escaping the police.

Witnesses and Reporting Crimes

A crime must be witnessed or trigger an alarm before it can be reported to police.

Rockstar explains:

"The Wanted system in GTA 6 requires that someone witness the crime, or an alarm needs to be set off for it to be reported to the law."

The circumstances of a crime determine whether police are alerted and what information is sent to dispatch.

GTA 6 Police Dispatch

Police dispatch provides specific information about the reported crime rather than simply issuing a generic alert.

This can include:

• Suspect details
• Clothing
• Vehicles
• Location
• Companions
• CCTV footage

The more information dispatch receives, the more targeted the police response can be.

Stealth and Avoiding Identification

GTA 6 makes stealth more valuable because crimes committed without identification give police less information to work with.

Rockstar demonstrated Jason crouching to stay outside a police officer's line of sight. Avoiding witnesses, cameras, and law enforcement before a crime is reported may therefore reduce the resulting police response.

Masks in GTA 6

Masks return in GTA 6 and can limit the information witnesses have about your identity.

They do not make you completely anonymous, however. Police may still identify your clothing, vehicle, location, or other details connected to the crime.

How to Lower Your Wanted Level

Players can actively make police information less useful:

• Appearance known: Change your appearance.
• Clothing known: Change your clothes.
• Vehicle known: Abandon or switch vehicles.
• Jason and Lucia identified together: Separate them.
• Police concentrated in one area: Leave the hot area.

How to Lose Police in GTA 6

1. Check the HUD: Look beneath the Wanted Stars for active information icons.
2. Identify what police know: Check whether they have your description, clothing, vehicle, or CCTV information.
3. Change those details: Alter your appearance, clothes, or vehicle where possible.
4. Separate the protagonists: Split Jason and Lucia up if both are being tracked.
5. Leave the hot area: Avoid returning to the crime scene immediately.
6. Wait for the heat to decrease: Staying away may be safer than returning too soon.

How Crime Severity Affects the Wanted Level

Rockstar has not revealed the exact requirements for each of GTA 6's six Wanted Levels.

The traditional system remains: more serious or escalating crimes produce stronger police responses. However, GTA 6 also considers how much information police have about the perpetrator.

De-Escalating Situations

Not every confrontation has to become a major police chase.

In Rockstar's demonstration, Jason aimed a gun at a group of hostile individuals without firing. The group fled and reported the incident, but because Jason did not shoot anyone, the Wanted Level remained low.

Avoiding unnecessary violence can therefore reduce the severity of the police response.

GTA 6 Wanted System vs GTA 5

GTA 6's Wanted System is therefore less like a simple meter and more like an evolving manhunt.

GTA 6 Wanted System Tips

• Limit police information: The less they know, the harder you are to find.
• Watch the red icons: They show which details police have obtained.
• Change more than one detail: Altering your hairstyle may not be enough if police also know your clothing.
• Keep spare outfits in your vehicle: Personal vehicles can store additional clothes.
• Avoid hot areas: Police may remain active around recent crime scenes.
• Abandon known vehicles: Switching cars can remove an important clue.
• Consider splitting up: Jason and Lucia can be harder to track separately.
• Avoid unnecessary escalation: Non-lethal confrontations may produce a lower Wanted Level.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Wanted Stars are in GTA 6?

GTA 6 features six Wanted Stars, returning for the first time since Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

What is the GTA 6 Heat System?

The heat system tracks police attention and the information gathered about criminal activity in a particular area. Police can use details such as your appearance, clothing, vehicle, companion, and CCTV footage.

What do the red icons under the Wanted Stars mean?

They show what information police have about the suspect. Confirmed examples include physical description, clothing, and CCTV footage.

Can you change clothes to lose the police in GTA 6?

Changing clothes can make an existing clothing description inaccurate, but police may still know your appearance, vehicle, or other details.

Can you change your appearance to escape the police?

Yes. Changing your hairstyle can alter your physical description and potentially invalidate information reported to police.

Can you change vehicles to lose the police?

Yes. Switching vehicles can help if police have identified the car you're driving.

What is a hollow Wanted Star in GTA 6?

It indicates that police are responding to a reported crime but do not have information identifying the perpetrator.

Can Jason and Lucia split up while Wanted?

Yes. Separating them can reduce the police's ability to track them when both are being sought.

Do GTA 6 police remember where you committed a crime?

Crime locations can remain hot for a period of time, with police continuing to patrol the area.

Do masks work in GTA 6?

Masks can limit the information witnesses have about your identity, but police may still use details such as clothing, vehicles, CCTV footage, and location.

GTA 6 Wanted System Updates

The Wanted System is one of the major gameplay systems expanded in Grand Theft Auto VI.

This guide will be updated as Rockstar reveals more about police behavior, Wanted Levels, witnesses, surveillance, dispatch, heat, and escaping law enforcement.

Check back with GTABase for the latest confirmed GTA 6 Wanted System information.