Refuelling in GTA 6 takes about 10 seconds – and Rockstar thinks nobody can complain about that

Rockstar is not cutting the fuel system from Grand Theft Auto 6. And according to an extended preview of the game, the whole action lasts around 10 seconds.

The figure comes from YouTuber TGG, who saw a demo guided by co-studio head Rob Nelson. When the car was filled up, Nelson pointed out how quick it was.

“Hey, that’s pretty fast for a fill up,” Nelson said during the demo. “You can’t complain about that.”

It is Rockstar’s first concrete answer to one of the most repeated criticisms since it was confirmed that cars in Vice City would need fuel.

What you can do at a gas station

The stations are not just for topping up the tank. Based on what the preview showed, players can:

• Refuel combustion-engine cars
• Recharge electric vehicles
• Repair the vehicle

Selecting the refuel or recharge option triggers a short cutscene, and that is what TGG timed at roughly 10 seconds.

Why part of the community is annoyed

The complaint is not about the duration, it is about pace. A good share of players think stopping for fuel breaks the flow of driving, stealing and shooting the series was built on.

It is the same argument that came up with Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, when plenty of people pushed back on the simulation-heavy elements: the weight of Arthur Morgan’s movement, the fiddling with saddlebags for inventory.

Rockstar has been pushing in that direction for years anyway.

Rockstar is not entirely sure either

The interesting part is that the doubt exists inside the studio. Talking the system through with TGG, Nelson said they would have to wait and see how people react, then asked him directly whether he thought players were going to like it.

For TGG, fuel should not become a problem unless you are driving without paying attention to the tank.

The part nobody has seen yet

The real question is still open: how often you have to stop. Ten seconds every now and then bothers nobody. Ten seconds every five minutes of a police chase is something else entirely.

That has not been shown, and it is what will decide whether the system reads as an atmospheric detail or becomes the first thing the community asks Rockstar to patch out.