On this page
Quick facts
- Maximum stars
- Six official
- Star looks
- Solid white, flashing, red, hollow official
- What each look means
- Outlets disagree reported
- Evidence icons
- Up to six: face, clothing, CCTV, duo, vehicle, weapon official
- Police on minimap
- No reported
- What starts a response
- A witness, an alarm or a car tracker reported
- Six-star response
- Not shown not announced
This page explains how the system works. For the escape routine in order, read how to lose your wanted level in GTA 6.
Six stars across the series
Six stars is the series norm, not a comeback. Every mainline 3D-era game and GTA IV went to six. GTA V is the one that stopped at five.
| Game | Maximum wanted stars |
|---|---|
| GTA III (2001) | Six |
| GTA Vice City (2002) | Six |
| GTA San Andreas (2004) | Six |
| GTA IV (2008) | Six (a second Annihilator helicopter, NOOSE and FIB units) |
| GTA Chinatown Wars (2009) | Six |
| GTA V (2013) | Five |
| GTA 6 (2026) | Six official |
The four star states
In GTA V the stars showed how much heat you had and flashed once police lost sight of you. In GTA 6 they also change look: solid white, flashing, red and hollow are all visible in the Extended Look. official Rockstar has not explained what each look means, and the outlets that have tried do not fully agree. reported
| Star look | GameSpot and Vice | Beebom |
|---|---|---|
| Solid white | An officer can see you | Police have your description and are actively searching |
| Flashing white | You broke line of sight | Police do not know exactly what you look like |
| Red | Out of sight but still inside the search area | You lost the police but they are still pursuing; at six stars the red zone covers the whole map |
| Hollow | A crime was reported, no description of you | Same: police know a crime happened, nothing identifies you |
The readings agree on what matters most in play. Hollow stars mean nobody has connected the crime to you, and red means you slipped away but are not clear yet. In the Extended Look, Lucia drives past police with hollow stars showing, flips them off, and nothing happens.
The evidence icons and how to clear them
Next to the stars sits a row of icons for the evidence the police hold. The icons are shown in the footage. official How each one clears comes from recaps and previews. reported
| Icon | What the police know | How it clears |
|---|---|---|
| Person silhouette | A description of you | Mask up (recaps); GTABase, a fan database, adds a new haircut (rumor) |
| Clothes hanger | What you were wearing | Change clothes |
| Camera | CCTV recorded you | Destroy the footage |
| Two figures | Jason and Lucia were seen together | Split up (see character switching); Vice says this can remove a whole star |
| Car | Your vehicle | Swap cars, or respray it at a Pay 'n' Spray |
| Gun | Your weapon | Hide or ditch it |
In GTA V, a respray at Los Santos Customs while no officer could see you wiped the whole wanted level; GTA V had no Pay 'n' Spray. In GTA 6 the Pay 'n' Spray returns as one tool among several: Vice reports it repairs the car, changes its color and clears the vehicle heat, while the other icons still need their own fix. reported
How the police behave
Everything below comes from previews and recaps of the Extended Look. The forces themselves are listed in the GTA 6 police directory.
- They need a reason. reported Police respond once a witness calls, an alarm trips, or a stolen car's tracker reports you (more in how to steal cars in GTA 6). A crime nobody sees may go unpunished.
- They are not on the minimap. reported There are no vision cones to dodge. Focus briefly highlights officers through walls.
- They set perimeters. reported Vice reports police can ring a recently robbed store in case you come back, and IGN's preview, as KeenGamer summarized it, says officers may wait outside, which makes rear exits important.
- Their cars are bait. reported Every police car has a tracker, so it makes a bad getaway car, though the trunk may hold a shotgun or rifle and body armor.
- They remember. reported Evidence persists through a chase. A car you were seen in stays known until you change or swap it.
- Focus shows weak points. reported Previews say Focus highlights vehicle parts such as tires and gas tanks, and Vice reports that shot-out tires can make a driver lose control or flip. No source says that shooting a cruiser's tires ends the chase.
- Reputation carries over. reported Needless violence during an escape feeds your GTA 6 Criminal Profile, which changes how the city treats you afterwards.
What six stars means
Six stars appear on the HUD in the Extended Look. What a six-star response looks like has not been shown. not announced The only description comes from previews: at the highest level the police search the entire map (Vice), and Beebom describes the red search zone spreading across all of Leonida. A military response and a surrender option have only come up in leak coverage, which we do not treat as fact.
GTA V vs GTA 6
| GTA V (2013) | GTA 6 (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum stars | Five | Six |
| Police on minimap | Yes, with vision cones | No |
| Starting a response | Instant if police saw it; witnesses could also phone it in | Needs a witness, an alarm or a tracker |
| Losing heat | Stay out of the cones until the stars flash out | Break line of sight, then clear each evidence icon |
| Disguises | Changing clothes did nothing mid-chase | Clothes, masks and car changes clear evidence |
| Two-person escapes | Not applicable | Splitting up clears the duo icon |
The police are only one of the changes. The map, the leads, the price and online are side by side in the full GTA 6 vs GTA 5 comparison.
What to do next: follow how to lose a wanted level in GTA 6 for the escape steps, or go back to the GTA 6 gameplay hub for every other system. Leaked material is covered only on the GTA 6 leaks timeline.
Frequently asked questions
How many wanted stars are there in GTA 6?
Six, shown on the HUD in the Extended Look. GTA IV also had six; GTA V had five.
What do the star colors mean in GTA 6?
Rockstar has not explained them, and outlets disagree on details. GameSpot and Vice read solid white as police having line of sight, flashing as you breaking it, red as being out of sight but inside the search area, and hollow as a crime reported with no description of you. Beebom reads solid and flashing white as how much the police know about your appearance, rather than whether they can see you.
Do the police show up on the minimap in GTA 6?
No, according to previews. Officers are not marked on the minimap. Focus highlights nearby police through walls for a short time, which is how you track them during an escape.
What do the icons next to the wanted stars mean?
They show what the police have on you: a description of you, your clothes, CCTV footage, that Jason and Lucia were seen together, your vehicle and your weapon. Each icon clears when you remove that piece of evidence, for example by changing clothes, swapping cars or splitting up.
Does the military come at six stars?
Not shown. Six stars appear on the HUD, but what a six-star response looks like has not been shown or described by Rockstar. Previews only say that at the top level police search the entire map. Talk of the military comes from leak coverage and is not fact.
Can you surrender to the police in GTA 6?
Not in anything official. A surrender prompt has only come up in coverage of leaked footage, so treat it as unconfirmed until launch.
What changed on this page
- Added a link from the GTA V table to our full GTA 6 vs GTA 5 comparison, and removed 'a mod shop' as a way to clear the car icon: previews name only swapping cars and a Pay 'n' Spray respray.
- Corrected the series history (GTA IV also had six stars, and GTA V had no Pay 'n' Spray), tagged the star-state meanings and the haircut counter by source, and added what previews say about trackers, perimeters and shooting tires.