GTA 6 will have hurricanes, scuba diving and even mini golf

It won't always be sunny in Leonida: GTA 6 will have tropical storms and hurricanes, the big exclusive from the cover story Game Informer published on 29 September. Fourteen pages, twelve never-before-seen screenshots and interviews with Rockstar's leads, which also bring a long list of activities, from scuba diving to mini golf, and a population far more varied than GTA V's. Here's what's new.

What is Game Informer's cover story?

It's issue 382 of the magazine, devoted entirely to GTA 6. Its writer spoke to several of Rockstar's lead designers about how they turned Florida into Leonida, and the magazine has been rolling it out on its website as a series of exclusives. We've already covered part of it: the more than 170 animals and the size of the map, twice that of GTA V. Here's everything else.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

This is the reveal that got everyone talking. Game Informer confirmed it: just like the real Florida, Leonida will be hit by tropical storms and seasonal hurricanes. And it's not just a grey filter:

• Local weather. Clouds move across the map, so it can be pouring over Vice City while the sun shines on the Keys, and you'll see a storm rolling in from far away.
• Rain leaves its mark. After a storm, puddles and wet surfaces stick around for a while, and with the right light you'll even get a rainbow.
• Proper wind. There are sea breezes, updrafts and gusts bouncing between buildings. According to the story, hair, debris, water and plants all react to it.

Everything you'll be able to do in Leonida

The cover story brings the longest list of activities yet, and the magazine points out that it isn't even complete. Add what Rockstar already showed in the trailers and the Extended Look, and you've got plenty of excuses to forget about the story for hours.

On the water

• Scuba diving and snorkelling on the Keys reef, among turtles and tropical fish.
• Jet skis for tearing along the coast at full speed.
• Airboats through the Grassrivers swamps, alligators included.
• Kayaking along the rivers of Mount Kalaga.
• Fishing from a boat, as seen in the official images.

With the engine roaring

• Street racing through Vice City.
• Off-road and dirt bike racing, far from the tarmac.
• BASE jumping and skydiving from skyscrapers and mountains.
• E-scooters for getting around town without drawing attention.

Sport and vice

• The gym, back for the first time since San Andreas.
• Basketball on the city's courts or at the hoop at home.
• Pool and mini golf to kill some time.
• A shooting range to sharpen your aim before the next job.
• Backyard wrestling, just as it appeared in the first trailer.
• Nightclubs and strip clubs, flying banknotes included.

Date nights

Some activities are dates for Jason and Lucia: hiking up to a waterfall, lounging on beach sunbeds or a trip to the zoo. It's the first time a GTA has two protagonists who are also a couple, and Rockstar wants that to show outside the missions too.

Animals worth collecting

On top of hunting and fishing, the story confirms you'll be able to track and log certain species, classed as rare, discoverable and legendary, Red Dead Redemption 2-style. Everything about the wildlife is in our animals article.

Locals more realistic than ever

Leonida won't be full of clones. According to the story, Rockstar has created a much wider range of bodies than in GTA V:

• Different builds: heights, body types, musculature and even where each body carries its fat.
• Detailed skin: freckles, moles and tan lines.
• Clothes that make sense: they change with the area and the situation, and they get dirty, worn and don't always fit.

It's the other side of the research Rockstar did in Miami and Florida to build, in the magazine's words, its most "culturally and aesthetically accurate" world to date.

Where can you read the cover story?

Issue 382 came out digitally on 29 September in the Game Informer app for subscribers, and the print edition reaches subscribers during October. On the magazine's website you can read some of the exclusives for free, including the one about hurricanes.