Fishing

Fishing is in, and reporting on the Extended Look describes it as being about as detailed as the system in Red Dead Redemption 2, which is a high bar. That game modelled species, bait, water type, time of day and a fight on the line that could last minutes.

The catch and release rule

The reported detail that makes people stop is that Grand Theft Auto 6 uses catch and release. You cannot keep a fish and you cannot sell one. Landing it, photographing it and putting it back is the whole loop.

That sounds like a limitation and is probably the opposite. Red Dead's fishing was partly an economy: fish were food, income and crafting material, which meant a good spot became a grind. Removing the payout removes the incentive to farm it, and leaves fishing as something you do because you are on a boat and the sun is going down.

It is also correct for the setting. Catch and release is genuinely how a very large amount of Florida sport fishing works, particularly for the species people go out for.

Where it sits

Reporting ties it to collectibles and challenge completion rather than money, which is the usual Rockstar pattern for an activity it wants you to do once in every region rather than repeatedly in the best one.

The geography supports it heavily. The Keys are built on sport fishing, Grassrivers is fresh water and wetland, Mount Kalaga has rivers, and Lake Leonida is an inland sea. Four distinct water types is more than any previous game in the series has offered.

What is not known

Rockstar has not described the system publicly. Species, tackle, whether either character can fish, and whether there is a photograph or record book have not been shown. Catch and release comes from reporting on preview footage and should be treated as reported rather than confirmed.

Related: scuba diving, kayaking.