The wanted system

Spotted in trailer
Firing on a police pickup with the wanted meter and an ammo count on screen
© Rockstar Games source

Six star slots and a row of four icons that say what the police actually know about you. Losing a chase means breaking that description, not just outrunning the cars.

Sources (4)

What the meter actually shows

Spotted in trailer

Reading the official 4K file settles a count the previews disagreed on: at 14:24 two stars are dimmed and four lit, at 15:20 two are filled and four drawn as empty outlines. Six slots either way, and under them a row of four red icons.

  • Six star slots, not five
  • Four icons: your face, your clothes, your car, and the two of you together
  • An outline means the police are searching without a confirmed sighting
  • GamesRadar, Beebom and Push Square read six stars the day it aired; SVG's write-up said five
Sources (4)

Breaking the description

Spotted in trailer

Because the meter carries a description, escaping is a checklist rather than a speed contest: change the vehicle, change clothes, split up. In the video the pair leave a parking garage with the car burning behind them and go on foot into Bayside.

  • Change the car the police logged
  • Change the outfit they logged
  • Split up so the pair icon stops matching
Sources (4)

Questions and answers

How many stars does GTA 6's wanted system have?

Six slots. Reading Rockstar's own 4K file, the meter shows four lit next to two dimmed at 14:24 and four outlined next to two filled at 15:20.

Sources (2)
What do the four icons under the meter mean?

They are the description the police are working from: your face, your clothes, your car, and the fact that two of you are travelling together.

Sources (1)
How do you lose the police in GTA 6?

By invalidating that description rather than by outrunning it: change the vehicle, change clothes, split up. Rockstar has published no formal explanation of the system.

Sources (2)

Where it appears

Game systems

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Updated: 2026-09-02