Hurricanes Are In, and Rain Can Still Miss Your Block

Hurricanes can hit Leonida, VICE and RockstarINTEL wrote on September 29 from Game Informer issue 382, and RockstarINTEL says one part of the map can take torrential rain while you stand in sun, so the weather is a place on the map and not a single sky over the state.

The storm is a destination now.

RockstarINTEL attributes the details to senior Rockstar designers in a 14-page Game Informer story. Neither writeup is a Rockstar Newswire post. That page still only sets Grand Theft Auto VI for November 19, 2026, in Leonida.

Sun on Your Block, Rain on the Map

RockstarINTEL describes the weather as a re-engineered, localized, persistent evolution of Red Dead Redemption 2's system, and says it is not the same system. Rain can create rainbows and persistent puddles, and wet surfaces remain after a storm. Dynamic clouds move across Leonida. One part of the map can have torrential rain while the player is in sun. Wind includes offshore breezes, convectional updrafts, and occlusion from buildings, and it moves hair, debris, water surfaces, and vegetation.

GTA V rain usually covers the session. RDR2 already let a storm sit on one region while another stayed clear. The difference is you are not waiting on one sky for the whole state.

VICE says the storms bring heavy rain, strong winds, dark clouds, thunder, lightning, and water running off rooftops and other surfaces. The same report says Rockstar has not explained how often hurricanes occur or whether they play a significant role in the story.

The day before, Dexerto quoted Game Informer writer Marcus Stewart on advanced weather systems that simulate Florida's less sunny weather phenomena. That September 28 piece did not confirm hurricanes as a GTA 6 feature or state the 170 count.

170 Species, and a Reason to Stop

Both outlets report more than 170 animal species, including over 60 bird types and more than 30 land mammals. VICE says Rockstar designers named manatees, flamingos, pelicans, and alligators, plus several types of sharks, whales, rays, turtles, and jellyfish with distinct movement. Some animals can appear iridescent, translucent, or bioluminescent. New fur systems let coats get wet, dirty, matted, or clumped.

GTA V wildlife was something you clipped with a bumper. RDR2 made you stop for a legendary animal. RockstarINTEL says some animals can be tracked as Rare, Discoverable, or Legendary, and the studio is keeping the identities secret, so there is no route to plan yet.

VICE lists base jumping, kayaking, scuba diving, jet skiing, and racing, and describes Grassrivers as an Everglades-like wetland with dangerous reptiles. Players will want to know if a storm can shut the kayak down.

Sun on your block does not mean the state is clear. The hurricane still has no clock.

Earlier on GTA6Now: GTA 6 leak tracker.