GTA 6 Wanted Levels and Heat system: how the six stars work
GTA 6 expands the Wanted Level to six stars with color-coded states and a Heat system showing what the cops know. Here's how it works, per GamesRadar+.
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In GTA 6, the police system does a lot more than add one star to the meter. GamesRadar+ worked through Rockstar's Extended Look footage alongside hands-on preview coverage to explain how it fits together. The Wanted Level now goes up to six stars, and the stars change appearance depending on where the investigation stands. A separate Heat system sits on top of that, with a set of red icons that show exactly which clues the police have on you. Below is what has been shown so far, plus a clear line between what's been seen and what's still interpretation.
The six-star Wanted Level
GTA 5 topped out at five stars. GTA 6 adds a sixth, and GamesRadar+ says the extra step lets the police response build more gradually. Your first star shouldn't bring officers in shooting.
The bigger change is that the stars themselves look different depending on what the police are doing, which GamesRadar+ says is a first for the series. Rockstar hasn't published an official key. The table below is GamesRadar+'s reading of the footage, so treat it as an informed guess rather than gospel:
| Star appearance | What it appears to mean | Your best move |
|---|---|---|
| Black and white | Police are looking into a crime but don't know who did it | Act normal and slip away |
| Gray | Police are searching and have details about you, shown by Heat icons | Get rid of the clues they're working from |
| White | Officers are chasing you and can see you | Break line of sight |
| Red | You've escaped, but police still hold information on you | Clear the remaining Heat before they spot you again |
At higher wanted levels, the minimap seems to fill up with flashing red and blue, so you can't use it to track patrol cars. GamesRadar+ hedges here (it "looks like" that happens), but if it's right, you'll have to watch the streets yourself and keep your head down instead of reading the radar.
The Heat system
Heat icons appear as red symbols in the top-right corner of the screen. Each one stands for a clue the police got from a witness or from their own officers. GamesRadar+ counts six so far:
- Security camera footage
- Accomplice
- Clothing
- Face
- Weapon
- Vehicle
Every active icon makes it harder to shake the cops, so the smart play is to keep them from appearing at all. Wear a mask or cover your face, and avoid security cameras or take them out before the job. If a clue does get logged, you can still clear it. Hiding your weapon or changing clothes removes the matching Heat.
It also seems to happen instantly. GamesRadar+ points to the car chase in the Extended Look: the Vehicle icon disappears as soon as Lucia steps out of Raul's car.
Splitting up Jason and Lucia
The Accomplice icon is the one built around the two leads. You can clear it by sending Jason and Lucia off in different directions. There's a catch, though. If either one gets caught while they're apart, you're still Busted. You can't leave your partner behind to save yourself.
What it means for players
Taken together, the system rewards planning more than flooring it until the stars fade. Hiding in a back alley won't do much if the cops have your face, your car and your outfit on file. Shedding clues one at a time gives you more to think about during an escape, and it fits with Rockstar's comments that missions allow alternate escape routes. How the police treat you could also connect to the game's Criminal Profile system, though nobody has said how the two interact.
What's still unconfirmed
The star colors and the minimap behavior are GamesRadar+'s interpretations, not explanations from Rockstar. The six Heat icons are only the ones seen so far, so the final game may have more. It's also unclear what a full six-star response looks like compared with the lower tiers. The GamesRadar+ guide went up on October 9 and was based on pre-release material, so some details could change by the time GTA 6 launches on November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
