- wanted stars, one more than GTA V
- 6
- star states
- 4
- heat icons
- 6
What the star states mean
Line of sight
Solid white
Police can see you right now. Break line of sight first.
Losing them
Flashing white
Line of sight is broken and you are close to losing the police.
Heat only
Red
You lost the chase but are still inside the heat zone. Police know roughly who, not where.
No description
Hollow
Police are responding but have no idea who did it. You can drive right past them.
The 6 heat icons
We wanted to get past that thing we used to have where you could lose the cops instantaneously and then they forget about you instantly. And we wanted them to have a bit more persistent memory.
Red icons under the stars show what police have on you: a silhouette for your physical description, a hanger for your clothes, a camera for CCTV footage, plus icons for your vehicle, your weapon, and whether Jason and Lucia were seen together.
Each icon has its own fix. Wipe the store's CCTV footage, change into a spare outfit, put on a mask or helmet before the crime, stash or drop the weapon, switch or torch the car, or split Jason and Lucia up.
In IGN's demo, Jason bought a baseball cap in a convenience store: the description icon disappeared, but the clothing icon stayed, because he was still wearing the same clothes.
Leave an icon unfixed and police can still recognise you after the stars are gone. Lucia torching the getaway car in the Extended Look is what removed the vehicle icon.
Witnesses and the heat zone
A crime has to be reported before you are wanted: a witness phones it in, an alarm goes off during a robbery, or you steal a car with a tracker. Rob Nelson told Famitsu the RDR2 witness system was brought over, and that the stars "don't increase easily".
Below six stars, police search a dark red circle around the crime and a larger, lighter circle beyond it. Get out of both and they stop searching, but the area stays marked on the map and police linger there.
At six stars there is no circle: police search the whole map. TGG says reaching six stars is hard.
After a small store robbery the heat zone is about one neighbourhood, and police set up a perimeter around the store in case you come back.
Sole Retriever's first Extended Look breakdown read the colours differently (white for a pursuit starting, red for an active chase). The states above come from TGG and IGN, who saw the game with Rob Nelson.
No police on the minimap
It can be harder, but it's fun. Depending on the wanted level, you have to think more. You can't just play the game and avoid the little vision cones anymore.
Police no longer show on the radar. Focus, Jason and Lucia's slow-motion ability, shows them through walls, and a red-and-blue light at the edge of the screen shows the direction they are coming from.
Every police car has a tracker, so stealing one makes the chase almost impossible to lose. Police also shoot out tires, and a flat is much harder to drive on than in GTA V.
Pay 'n' Spray returns to wipe a car's description, but you unlock Pay 'n' Spray locations over time rather than having them all at the start.
Escaping without a shootout
Let's say you were wearing a mask when you were reported. The police are searching for a masked person, so removing the mask reduces the degree to which the police recognize you.
Nelson says a two-star wanted level is entirely possible to escape: unmask, put the gun away, steal an old car the police have not seen and drive carefully. Get out without changing clothes and they may still spot you.
In IGN's demo, Jason aimed at a group without firing and they fled. The crime was reported, but it was not violent, so the wanted level stayed low.
Holding a long gun in both hands makes people walk away and police warn you; a gun on your back draws no reaction. Aim it and people run or draw their own weapons.
Get wasted or busted and you lose all the cash you are carrying, so bank it at an ATM first. The Criminal Profile also tracks whether you act like a professional or a violent criminal.
Keep exploring
01 / Heists
GTA 6 heists
GTA 6 has 4 free-roam robbery tiers — stores, jewelers, banks, compounds — plus story heists with Raul. Loot goes to fences.
02 / Heists
GTA 6 robberies
GTA 6 robberies work on any store: back door, snap gun, kill cameras and alarm, crack the safe, then bank the cash or fence the loot. Solo or with Lucia.
03 / Heists
GTA 6 money and fences
GTA 6 splits money into BuckMe bank, cash and duffel bag loot. Fences buy loot by type, and some story missions need a cash goal first.
04 / Leonida
GTA 6 vehicles
All 226 GTA 6 vehicles seen so far: 158 cars and trucks, 13 bikes, 30 boats, 16 aircraft. 7 named by Rockstar.
Confirmed so far
- Six-star maximum, the first since Chinatown Wars in 2009 (IGN).
- Four star states: solid white, flashing white, red and hollow (TGG, with Rob Nelson).
- Heat icons for description, clothes, CCTV, vehicle, weapon and couple.
- Police are not shown on the minimap; Focus reveals them.
- A crime must be witnessed or reported to raise a wanted level.
Still unknown: How many stars each robbery tier triggers, and what happens at six stars beyond the map-wide search.
GTA 6 Wanted level: FAQ
How many wanted stars are in GTA 6?
Six, one more than GTA V. Six stars makes police search the whole map instead of a circle around the crime.
What do red stars mean in GTA 6?
You have lost the chase but are still inside the heat zone. Police know roughly who you are but not where; fix the heat icons and leave the red area.
What do hollow stars mean in GTA 6?
Police are responding to a crime but have no description of who did it, so you can pass them without being chased.
Are police on the minimap in GTA 6?
No. Use Focus to see them through walls, or watch the red-and-blue light at the screen edge that shows where they are coming from.
How do you lose the police in GTA 6?
Clear the heat icons: take the mask off, change clothes, wipe CCTV, ditch the car or weapon, split Jason and Lucia up, and get out of the red search area.
Sources
- TGG — GTA 6: The Police are Smarter Than Ever (deep dive, Rob Nelson quotes) — TGG, Aug 29, 2026 · checked Oct 3, 2026
- TGG — GTA 6: Every New Gameplay Feature & Mechanic You Missed (Extended Look breakdown, Rob Nelson quotes) — TGG, Aug 28, 2026 · checked Oct 3, 2026
- IGN — In GTA 6 You're Not Just Wanted, You're Hunted: Rockstar Explains — IGN, Aug 27, 2026 · checked Oct 3, 2026
- Famitsu interview with Rockstar's Rob Nelson, English translation (GTAVice.net) — GTAVice.net, translating Famitsu, Sep 9, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
- Rockstar Games — Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look — Rockstar Games, Aug 27, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
- TGG — I Saw 3 Hours of GTA 6 at Rockstar North: First Impressions (with Rob Nelson quotes) — TGG, Aug 27, 2026 · checked Oct 3, 2026
- Sole Retriever — Everything revealed in GTA 6: An Extended Look — Nicholas Vlahos, Juan Martinez, Aug 27, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026