How to steal cars in GTA 6
GTA 6 car theft uses a phone scanner, slim jims, key cloners, trackers and car fences, per Rob Nelson to IGN Reported. Rockstar has not published a theft guide Not confirmed. New here? Start here.
Reported
“You can always carjack any driver you see.”
Reported
A phone scanner shows locks, alarms, trackers and value.
Not confirmed
A full list of tools or which cars need which.
Official Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2, Rockstar Games’ official YouTube upload. Rockstar’s latest official trailer.
The theft tools, as described
| Step | What Nelson showed | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Scan | The phone scanner says if a car is “locked, it’s got an alarm, and has no tracker,” plus its value at a Pay n’ Spray or car fence and the cost to register it. | Reported |
| Open | “This car needs a key cloner. This other car will just need a slim-jim.” Some parked cars are “not accessible to you until you get a bit further along with the story.” | Reported |
| Or carjack | You can always pull a driver out, or aim a weapon and tell them to get out. | Reported |
| Escape | With an advanced tracker, the police know where the car is “if I’m not driving it at a great enough speed.” | Reported |
| Cash in | A car fence buys stolen cars and pays less if the car is damaged; you can repair it first. | Reported |
Heat after a theft
- Reported Nelson: the wanted system needs a witness or an alarm before a crime is reported.
- Reported If police know your car, “we should just jump out of the vehicle”; a new vehicle lowers their read on you.
- Reported At three stars in the city, “your best option is usually” to go on foot into the alleys.
- Reported A car fence told Nelson about a police impound lot and gave him the door code; he took a car he called “an Infernus” from it.
What we don’t know yet
- Not confirmed Which story point unlocks the key cloner.
- Not confirmed What registering a stolen car costs or changes.
- Not confirmed Whether car fences give repeat contracts.
Quick answers
Can you steal any car in GTA 6?
Reported Any driven car, by carjacking. Some parked cars need tools you unlock later.
What is the key cloner?
Reported A tool some cars need, per Nelson: “This car needs a key cloner. This other car will just need a slim-jim.”
Can you keep a stolen car?
Reported The scanner shows “how much it would cost for me to register it for myself.”
Is there a Pay n’ Spray?
Reported Nelson named Pay n’ Spray as a place the scanner prices cars for.
Source: IGN, Rob Nelson full interview (7 Oct 2026).
Related: Wanted system · Vehicles · Garage · Phone · Criminal Profile
Change log: desk notes, 14 October 2026
- Desk stamp: 14 October 2026.
- GTA 6 changes car theft.
- Some cars open with a slim jim, others need a key cloner, and some parked cars stay locked until the story gives you the tools.
- This comes from Rob Nelson’s demo for IGN, so it is Reported, not a Rockstar manual.
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New guides: Robberies · Personal vehicle · Fence
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