GTA 6 Fuel Car Mechanic Explained—How It Works

Rockstar Games has finally revealed the first gameplay footage of GTA 6, and with it, many details and gameplay features have been unveiled. As expected, the game will feature a huge number of new innovations, one of which will be the need to regularly refuel cars with fuel - a feature never before seen in the franchise.

The fact that GTA 6 will feature the ability—and the necessity—to refuel cars with gas was first revealed by the hacker Cyberleek (if you remember who that is), who shared gameplay footage from an early version of the game. Since it was an early version, this feature likely looked a bit rough around the edges and was probably not fully polished. But now that Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look has premiered and various gaming media outlets have begun publishing accurate information about the game, we have a clearer idea of how the car refueling mechanic will be implemented in GTA 6.

This was reported by TGG, who gained access to an early version of GTA 6 provided by Rockstar Games. On his X page, he wrote that in order to fill up a car with gas in the game, you’ll need to get out of the car after turning off the engine. Once you’ve grabbed the gas nozzle, press R2 (or RT on Xbox) to fill up the car—it takes 10 seconds to fill the tank, and the entire process is accompanied by full animations and even a countdown timer.

How Fuel Works in GTAVI per TGG:

• You need to leave the vehicle to fuel up your vehicle
• Press R2 to fill, a full tank takes up to a 10 seconds
• There is a full animation scene to this with a countdown on screen.
• You need to strategise how to get to locations on fuel. Make sure you’re fully prepared before robbing or going on long trips.

As TGG explains, refueling your car regularly isn’t just necessary for driving around town—it can be a decisive factor when, for instance, you’re completing a mission and need to escape your pursuers. If you run out of gas, the situation can clearly take a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, another well-known user specializing in GTA 6, rainy_wav, explained how the game’s police wanted list system works.

For now, you can also find out everything we know about GTA 6 so far—the story, gameplay, map, open world, platforms, and more - as well as how GTA 6 is reshaping the 2026 game calendar and everything about GTA 6 pre-order details: price, bonuses, exact time, and Ultimate Edition.

Grand Theft Auto VI will release on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.