Gym & Working Out

The San Andreas gym let CJ visibly change shape, and GTA 6 now has a confirmed system of its own. Trailer 2 first showed Jason working out at an open-air gym, looking more or less muscular across different frames, and the Extended Look followed with Lucia doing a bench press. Rockstar has confirmed to creators who visited the studio that Jason and Lucia gain and lose fat and muscle depending on how much they eat and exercise: going to the gym increases muscularity and strength, while overeating adds weight. Physique is tied to stats as well as looks, and press previews note that letting fitness slide affects health and stamina, making stressful missions and long sprints a little harder.

Getting through the door is its own step. Previewers who watched Rob Nelson take Jason and Lucia into one of the gyms on the map describe walking up to the front desk and buying a membership before using the facilities, with vending machines near the changing rooms selling a long list of consumables.

Workouts are quick-time events rather than a passive stat tick. In the preview session Lucia bought a protein shake from the gym vending machine before training; it gave her a temporary stamina and strength boost so she could complete more reps, with one creator describing it as roughly two extra reps on a bench press set that would otherwise stop at eight. One bench press set of around eight reps filled the workout ring by about a third, and completing three strength exercises in an in-game day grants a health boost for a set period. Strength work targets health, while cardio such as the treadmill feeds stamina, and other activities raise Focus. All three bars can be permanently raised above their normal ceilings through consistent training and temporarily topped up with food, drinks and protein bars, in a system previewers compare to Red Dead Redemption 2.

A fitness app on the in-game phone tracks workout status and reminds you when it is time to train. The benefits are described by attendees as minor rather than game-changing, so the gym is optional upkeep rather than a grind you cannot skip.

San Andreas remains the only earlier mainline GTA where body type was a system you managed, which is exactly why its return is so anticipated. GTA 6 goes further by giving the system to two protagonists: it is up to the player whether Lucia trains alone or alongside Jason, and exercising as a pair is one of the ways Rockstar lists for strengthening the couple’s bond, so a gym session doubles as time spent together.

Working out sits alongside basketball and fighting as part of the San Andreas activity revival fans keep pointing to, painting a picture of GTA 6 borrowing heavily from that game’s lived-in side content.