Summary
Grand Theft Auto 6could have a surprising amount to gain from adding a minigame that hasn’t made an appearance sinceSan Andreas. It’s always good for a sandbox game to keep growing, as long as it maintains the same level of quality that fans expect from it. In the case ofGrand Theft Auto 6, there is a lot of pressure to succeed after the runaway success ofGrand Theft Auto 5. For that reason, delving deep into the series to find aspects worthy of returning is a good idea for the developers to consider.
Minigames make up a large part ofGrand Theft Auto’s impressive amount of content. Players inGrand Theft Autogames have a wealth of ways to pass time between missions, from bowling, to golf, to racing. Obviously, this gives players more to do, stretching its runtime and giving it more replay value. This also often carries the secondary effect of humanizing the player character. After all, while a character like Niko or CJ will spend a lot of time in firefights with their foes, seeing them unwind with a round of darts or pool can help them feel a little more relatable to players.
RELATED:Grand Theft Auto 6 is Poised to Break a Huge Rockstar Tradition
Grand Theft Auto 6 Could Let Players Onto the Basketball Court
Rockstar surprised fans a decade ago with the announcement thatGrand Theft Auto 5would return to Los Santos, but it didn’t take everything fromSan Andreasinto the next generation. Of course, there were always going to be a few aspects of CJ’s adventure that would be unique to him. After all,GTA 5’s protagonists wouldn’t have much reason to go around spraying over Ballas tags, nor would balancing multiple girlfriends work with any of their goals or personalities. However, there is one activity that is strangely still unique toSan Andreasthat could come back forGTA 6, and that is basketball.
Basketball inSan Andreaswasn’t a particularly deep experience, especially in comparison to many ofGrand Theft Auto’s side missions, but it could be expanded upon. While CJ could shoot and dunk by himself on the court,Grand Theft Auto 6could give the player an expanded list of skills to play with. They could show off flashy moves and dunks like they were trying out for the Harlem Globetrotters. Of course,GTA 6could also introduce one mechanic that was badly missing fromSan Andreas' basketball minigame and let them play against AI opponents to see who rules the court.
While basketball inSan Andreasdidn’t have any rewards,GTA 6could make it well worth the player’s time to hit the court. Similar tounlocking achievements in otherGTAgames,GTA 6could offer players rewards for playing basketball. One idea could be for players to unlock a new jersey for the protagonists for every court where they win a game. Giving players more outifts to choose from is a good idea regardless of circumstance, and earning jerseys via basketball victories could be a fun way of justifying it in-universe. That could make basketball a lucrative pastime without making the rewards unbalanced.
Basketball does not have a long history in theGrand Theft Autoseries, but it has enough potential to justify a return in the next game. While the list offeatures that can return inGTA 6is long, basketball could find a place in the game. There’s potential to take what was a simple minigame and turn it into something great, offering a solid challenge as well as rewards for excelling at it. Letting players check out Vice City’s basketball scene could help the world ofGrand Theft Auto 6come to life.
Grand Theft Auto 6is in development.
MORE:Why Grand Theft Auto 6 May Have Backed Away From GTA 5’s Triple Protagonist Approach
