There are few games fans are as hopeful to have confirmed as Grand Theft Auto 6which many assume to be Rockstar's next major project. However, Rockstar has been consistently updating Grand Theft Auto 5 for the better part of a decade now, and with GTA 5 confirmed for next-gen, it doesn't seem likely that support will end anytime soon. Naturally, Grand Theft Auto 6 will need to feel distinct from its predecessor to feel fresh, but there's one important feature it needs to keep: heists.

Featured prominently throughout the game's story, Grand Theft Auto 5's heists were high points for the game, which presented players with a fair amount of choice as far as how to take them. That's an important detail, as recent Rockstar games, Red Dead Redemption 2 in particular, have been criticized for forcing players to complete objectives in excruciatingly specific ways.

RELATED: Grand Theft Auto Online May Be Adding UFO Mission Soon

Grand Theft Auto 5's heists were more involved. Before each heist, players were allowed to plan how they wanted to tackle the situation, typically being presented with two options to approach the situation, as well as choosing which crew members would be coming along. The result was some semblance of agency over the heist's success, though it still didn't present players with many opportunities for failure.

grand theft auto 5 assault rifle gas mask duo

Of course, rumor has it that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in early production, meaning that the game likely won't release for a few years. Given the GTA 5 port, this makes sense. GTA Online has maintained its popularity since it launched, and with the monetization methods within, it would be damaging to Rockstar to leave it behind on the PS4 and Xbox One. This time gap does present a few major opportunities for Rockstar, though.

Obviously, there are going to be some advancements in technology that can make heists really start to sing. For example, look at the vast difference between Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 5Rockstar has had time to refine many of the mechanics that appeared in Grand Theft Auto 5, creating better combat mechanics, random encounters, and a ton more. Not all of them need to appear in Grand Theft Auto 6 – wildlife would largely be wasted in urban environments – but it's a good way for Rockstar to craft a richer world, even if it's not as hell-bent on seeming like a life simulator.

That world could go a long way to help craft better heists. Ideally, this would be something reactive, where the player's actions in a heist have a deeper effect on the world. Say, for instance, a red sedan is used as a getaway car for the heist, so police start stopping red sedans for a period after the heist is over.

In Grand Theft Auto 5, heist are used to open and close narrative arcs. After the first heist, players spend a healthy chunk of time as Trevor, with subsequent ones being used to mark similar story shifts. That may not be the best option for Grand Theft Auto 6, if heists do make their way into the game. A better approach would be a repeatable system, which players are able to plan as an activity of their own accord, or perhaps even something in the middle. It'll probably be a few years before players find out how the system is handled, if it's included at all, as Grand Theft Auto 6 is likely years away.

In the meantime, fans still have Grand Theft Auto Online's heists to play around with, which will, hopefully, be enough to hold them over. With any luck, news about Rockstar's next project will release soon, but it's impossible to tell.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is rumored to be in development.

MORE: Which Hogwarts Houses Would The Main GTA Protagonists Be Sorted Into?