As GTA VI prepares for its release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, 2026, Rockstar Games is focusing on achieving a balance between realism and gameplay enjoyment. Rob Nelson, co-director of Rockstar North, shared his thoughts in an interview with the magazine LOVE, which was posted on X on October 5, 2026 and later reported by Eurogamer. He explained that realism is not the ultimate goal for the studio. Instead, what matters most is immersion. "Sometimes, things need to seem realistic to enhance immersion; conversely, sometimes realism must be sacrificed for the comfort of players. If realism contributes greatly to immersion, an excess of it can be tedious; we therefore seek to find the right balance," he said. This philosophy is not new for Rockstar. In an earlier interview with Famitsu on September 9, 2026, Nelson mentioned that the studio had already had to experiment with Red Dead Redemption 2 to find the right balance between realism and gameplay comfort. During development, Rockstar tested a system where characters like Jason and Lucia bought food at the supermarket to fill their refrigerator. However, they simplified it because it complicated the game too much. This approach to realism also extends beyond gameplay to how Rockstar builds its universe and its satire. Rupert Humphries, senior vice president in charge of narrative at Rockstar, explained in an interview with LOVE that "If we look at previous GTA games, national politics has never really been at the heart of the subject." He emphasized that Rockstar seeks above all to create games that reflect the spirit of their time, without reproducing the real world in every detail. "We avoid being too specific about particular people, events or movements," he said. An approach that ultimately corresponds quite well to the way Rockstar conceives its satire: drawing inspiration from reality, exaggerating certain aspects and diverting them, rather than trying to make an exact copy. For Humphries, the satire of GTA VI should even go further than reality. He used Red Dead Redemption 2 as an example, not to talk about the time needed to open a drawer in the game, but to highlight the level of historical reconstruction the studio devoted itself to. "The goal is not simply to hold up a mirror to reality, but to treat everything from a satirical angle, exaggerating the features to make the whole thing larger than life, even grotesque. Otherwise, it would be enough to leave your house and live in the real world!"