Rockstar rebuilt GTA 6’s weather system from scratch, adding hurricanes, rainbows and heavier storms

Rockstar Games has rebuilt the weather engine for GTA 6 from the ground up, and the studio’s vice president of art for lighting and rendering, Owen Shepherd, wants everyone to know it. Speaking to Game Informer, Shepherd described a system that creates storms, rainbows, and hurricanes that feel bigger and more present than anything the company has done before.

The announcement lands as GTA 6 approaches its release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on 19 November. Shepherd’s comments offer a peek at what players can expect when the game finally arrives.

Shepherd’s Weather Pitch

Shepherd’s description of the new weather system is deliberately specific. He talked about fully dynamic cloudscapes that roll across the map, from the clear blue skies of a Miami winter to the towering cumulonimbus clouds with sporadic lightning that appear most afternoons in the Floridian summer and autumn.

The key phrase is “localized and persistent.” That means a storm can be happening far away from where you are standing, and its effects — wet pavements, puddles, and rainbows — can linger long after the rain has stopped. You can watch a rain shower drench a distant street while staying perfectly dry yourself.

The Storm Details

Shepherd broke down what a thunderstorm actually looks like in the game. Heavy clouds, strong winds, dense atmospherics, and lots of rain combine so that everything is dripping wet. Water gushes off roof edges and lampposts. Thunder rumbles. Lightning flashes light up the clouds dramatically.

The hurricane component remains unexplained. Rockstar has not detailed how these massive storms will affect movement or gameplay. Will wet roads change tire handling? What happens if you fly a plane into a hurricane or parachute during Leonida’s windier days?

The studio is keeping those answers under wraps for now.

The Rainbow Effect

One of the most striking parts of Shepherd’s pitch is the persistence of the weather. After a storm passes, the world remembers it. Wet pavements, puddles, and rainbows remain visible long after the rain has stopped.

This is a subtle but important detail. In most games, a storm clears and the world resets. In GTA 6, the aftermath lingers, which adds a layer of depth to the environment.

Animals and Scuba Diving

GTA 6 is not just about the weather. The Game Informer spotlight also covered the game’s living world. There are over 170 animal species in the world, including 60 different birds and more than 30 land mammals.

Scuba diving is back, bringing manatees, jellyfish, and whales to the underwater sections. The game is also borrowing another feature from Red Dead Redemption 2: discoverable animals you can study, plus Legendary animals that Rockstar is still keeping a lid on.

The Unanswered Questions

The pitch leaves plenty of questions unanswered. Shepherd described the look of the storms in vivid detail, but he did not say how they will change the way you play the game.

Will wet roads affect your tires? What happens if you fly a plane into a hurricane or parachute during Leonida’s windier days? The studio has not shown how these storms will change how you drive.

What We Know So Far

The core promise is simple: GTA 6 will have a weather system that feels bigger and more present than anything Rockstar has made before. The weather system is a major part of that effort, and Shepherd’s descriptions are detailed enough to make the storms feel real.

Whether the actual gameplay lives up to the hype is another matter entirely. The studio has not shown how these storms will change how you drive.

GTA 6 launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on 19 November.

Source material: “GTA 6 completely "re-engineered" Rockstar's weather systems to "achieve a sense of scale we haven't felt before," adding hurricanes, rainbows and heavy rain,” Eurogamer.

game industry · GTA 6 · PS5 · Rockstar Games · weather system · Xbox