GTA 6 racing could become one of the most substantial side activities in Rockstar’s next open-world game. New footage has revealed dedicated circuit competition, motocross events and underground street races, suggesting that driving will extend far beyond simply travelling between missions.
That is significant for a series built around cars. Racing has appeared throughout Grand Theft Auto’s history and became particularly important in GTA Online. However, Grand Theft Auto VI appears ready to develop the idea with more structured motorsport activities and a noticeably different approach to vehicle handling.
There is even a permanent race circuit in Leonida. For long-time GTA players, that alone represents a notable change.
GTA 6 Introduces Proper Circuit Racing
One of the clearest additions is traditional circuit racing on a closed asphalt course. Rockstar’s Extended Look shows cars competing directly against each other rather than using a racetrack merely as scenery.
The interface includes several features familiar to dedicated racing games. Players can see their current position, lap information, lap times and competing vehicles on the minimap.
Rockstar has also filled the grid with a mixture of dedicated competition vehicles and fictional cars influenced by real performance models. As usual, the company avoids licensed recreations, but enthusiasts will immediately recognise some of the design inspirations.
That approach has always been part of GTA’s automotive identity. This time, however, the cars are being placed into a much more convincing motorsport setting.
Gellhorn International Raceway Gives Leonida a Permanent Circuit
The centerpiece appears to be Gellhorn International Raceway, a dedicated road course located around the Port Gellhorn area.
The track has been compared with Florida’s Sebring International Raceway, which would be a fitting influence. Leonida is Rockstar’s fictional interpretation of Florida, and the developer regularly reshapes recognisable locations rather than reproducing them exactly.
Gellhorn’s layout does not appear to be a direct copy of Sebring. Instead, Rockstar seems to have borrowed elements of real American motorsport culture while designing a circuit specifically for GTA 6.
More importantly, footage shows a genuine wheel-to-wheel event taking place there. That makes the location more than an elaborate background for a story mission.
Whether Rockstar has built additional permanent circuits remains unknown.
Motocross Brings Off-Road Racing Into the Mix
Road cars are only part of the picture. GTA 6 motocross also features prominently in the new material.
Lucia can be seen racing a dirt bike alongside several competitors on an off-road course filled with jumps. The sequence becomes particularly interesting when one rider crashes after landing and another competitor has to react.
It is a small moment, but an important one.
Unpredictable accidents could make races feel less scripted, particularly if GTA 6’s upgraded physics and NPC behaviour influence competitors dynamically.
A dedicated motocross facility is visible, while Leonida’s rural terrain appears well suited to additional dirt-bike routes. The state’s mixture of highways, towns, wetlands and undeveloped areas could give Rockstar plenty of room to vary racing conditions.
Street Racing Brings Back Some Midnight Club Energy
For players more interested in modified cars than professional circuits, GTA 6 street racing may be the bigger attraction.
Rockstar has shown an underground racing scene packed with extensively customised vehicles. Neon lighting, aggressive bodywork and modified exhausts give these events a noticeably different atmosphere from Gellhorn’s circuit competition.
There is also nitro.
The addition of nitrous boosts in GTA 6 immediately changes the character of street races, giving players a temporary burst of acceleration. It evokes the arcade racing culture associated with games such as Need for Speed and Rockstar’s own Midnight Club series.
Midnight Club has been dormant for years, so fans may be surprised to see some of its spirit resurfacing inside Grand Theft Auto.
The footage also includes vehicles clearly influenced by famous performance cars, ranging from Japanese tuners to American muscle cars and European exotics.
Rockstar Is Taking Vehicle Handling More Seriously
The variety of events would matter less if every vehicle behaved almost identically. Fortunately, Rockstar appears to be putting considerable effort into GTA 6 vehicle handling.
Rockstar previously revealed that real racing drivers contributed to the team working on driving behaviour. The studio has not detailed exactly how that expertise shaped the final physics, but their involvement suggests authenticity was an important part of development.
Footage provides some early evidence. Cars appear to carry more weight when changing direction, while braking, acceleration and collisions look more physical than they did in GTA 5.
Vehicle damage also seems more consequential. Heavy impacts can visibly affect cars and their occupants, potentially making reckless driving more costly.
That does not necessarily mean GTA 6 will become a simulation. Grand Theft Auto still needs accessible controls that work during police pursuits, missions and chaotic free-roam encounters. Rockstar’s challenge is finding the middle ground between believable weight and immediate responsiveness.
Car Customisation Could Become More Important
Racing also appears closely connected with GTA 6’s wider automotive culture.
One-Eyed Willie’s Mod Shop has already been identified as one location associated with vehicle customisation. Combined with the heavily modified street-racing cars shown in footage, tuning could become an important part of preparing vehicles for different events.
There are also reports that GTA 6 may introduce vehicle refuelling. Rockstar has not demonstrated that mechanic in the Extended Look, so its exact implementation remains uncertain.
Likewise, community analysis has pointed toward possible drag strips and oval tracks elsewhere in Leonida. Those locations should remain firmly in the speculation category until Rockstar confirms them.
GTA 6 Could Blur the Line Between Open World and Racing Game
Rockstar does not need to turn Grand Theft Auto VI into Forza or Gran Turismo. It has a different objective.
What matters is giving driving enthusiasts enough depth to make cars feel like a substantial part of Leonida rather than simple transportation.
Circuit events offer structured competition. Motocross introduces dirt, jumps and unpredictable crashes. Underground races provide modified cars and nitro-fuelled speed. More sophisticated handling could tie everything together.
That combination could make racing one of GTA 6’s strongest optional activities.
There are still major questions, particularly around vehicle customisation, race progression, rewards and how much content will exist outside the story. Yet what Rockstar has shown already points toward a broader motorsport ecosystem than GTA 5 offered at launch.
For players who spent hundreds of hours collecting, modifying and racing cars in Los Santos, Leonida may provide considerably more reasons to stay behind the wheel.