Kotaku's rundown pulls from the latest wave of leaked clips circulating online, the same footage that had Rockstar scrambling to scrub links before the Netflix Extended Look even dropped. We've already covered the initial chaos in our piece on the leaked Ranchero footage and its crash physics, but this new analysis digs deeper into ten specific gameplay elements spotted frame by frame.
Here's what stood out across the leak, cross-referenced with what we've tracked in our own leak coverage:
Weapon holstering animations appear more fluid than anything shown in the official trailers, matching earlier reports we detailed in our dynamic inventory and holstering leak.
AI police response shows officers using cover and attempting flanking maneuvers instead of the "swarm and shoot" behavior GTA 5 relied on for a decade.
Crash physics continue to show deformation modeling that goes beyond crumple zones, with debris and glass reacting independently to impact angle and speed.
NPC crime reporting appears more granular, with pedestrians pulling out phones to call it in rather than simply fleeing or dropping to the ground.
Environmental storm effects hint at a live weather system that can shift visibility and traffic behavior in real time, a detail that fits with the "world evolution" systems we broke down in our GTA 6 leaks feature on world evolution and AI.
Wildlife interactions, specifically alligators near swampland, suggest Leonida's ecosystem isn't just window dressing.
Swimming and underwater traversal clips show a diving mechanic with visible oxygen management, something GTA 5 barely touched.
Vehicle customization previews in the footage tease visual mod options that go beyond the surface-level tuning from past titles, tying into what we've cataloged in our vehicle roundup.
New unseen locations in the Leonida map, including areas that don't match anything shown in official trailers, aligning with the broader map leaks we covered in our massive gameplay and map leak report.
Interior building access appears more common in ambient gameplay, not just scripted missions