On this page
There is no date menu: bring your partner along to open-world activities such as the zoo, kayaking, beach walks or the gym, and text, say goodnight and hold hands. Previews say the relationship moves through states rather than a meter, and romance is optional.
Rupert Humphries, Rockstar’s senior vice president of narrative, told Dazed that GTA 6 is “a Bonnie and Clyde-type narrative” with Jason and Lucia’s relationship front and center. How the bond is tracked is covered in our relationship explainer. This page is the practical side: what to do together.
Step by step
Our reading of the footage and previews. No press outlet has reported a button for any of this; GTABase, a fan database, puts holding hands on the right trigger (rumor).
- Bring your partner along. Nelson says you can switch to either character or bring the two together. IGN’s preview, via KeenGamer, says exploring, shopping, salons, exercise and robberies together all bring the pair closer. GTABase, a fan database, adds that you ask the other one to tag along (rumor). Our switching guide covers the wheel.
- Go somewhere. The zoo, a kayak trip or a walk on the beach, the examples Rockstar gave previewers, or a gym session, which Vice says can turn into a date with your partner training alongside you.
- Hold hands. The Extended Look showed a Hold Hands option as the two walked toward Brian and Lori. GTABase, a fan database, says it is on the right trigger (R2 on PS5) and unlocks as the relationship grows; treat the button as rumor until an outlet or the footage confirms it.
- Keep in touch. Text each other and say goodnight.
- Keep putting in effort. Nelson says that if you do not deepen the relationship you lose options such as holding hands or kissing, and that effort brings them back.
What counts
| Activity | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Zoo trip | Vice, Sept 1: one of the examples Rockstar named | Reported |
| Kayaking | Vice, Sept 1 (Rockstar’s example); kayaks in Rockstar screenshots | Reported |
| Beach walk | Vice, Sept 1 (Rockstar’s example) | Reported |
| Gym session | Vice, Sept 5: working out together can become an emergent date, with your partner exercising alongside you | Reported |
| Texting and saying goodnight | Vice (preview) | Reported |
| Holding hands, linked arms | Vice; Hold Hands prompt in the Extended Look | Shown |
| Opening doors for each other | KeenGamer, GTABase | Reported |
| Robberies, shopping, salons, exploring together | KeenGamer (IGN preview) | Reported |
Robberies count too: IGN’s preview, as KeenGamer summarized it, lists exploration, shopping, salons, exercise and robberies among the things that bring the pair closer. How much a job weighs against a date has not been reported.
What Rockstar has shown
- A Hold Hands option and a heart symbol between the two characters (Postmode). What the heart tracks has not been explained.
- Places to go. Official screenshots include a kayaker in Mount Kalaga. The zoo comes from preview reports, not from the Extended Look or an official screenshot.
What previews reported
In July 2026 press and creators watched Rob Nelson play at Rockstar North, hands-off. Sessions ran 30 minutes to about 2.5 hours depending on the outlet.
- States, not a meter. The relationship moves between states rather than filling a bar (Vice).
- Dates happen naturally. There are no predefined, scripted dates (Vice).
- Optional romance. You can keep them together as lovers, keep them as partners in crime, or let the romance drift. Ignoring it never removes either character (Vice).
- A status screen. Nelson says you can check the couple’s relationship status in the game, alongside their bank balance.
- It changes what you can do. The depth of the relationship changes the range of things they can do together (Nelson). Vice adds that choices may affect parts of the story, though Rockstar has not said how much.
What we expect
- More options as the bond grows, based on Nelson’s comment that kissing and hand-holding depend on it.
- Gym dates that also train you. See how to work out in GTA 6.
- Texts on the phone doing a lot of the work between missions; see how to use the phone.
Not seen yet
- How many states there are, and their names.
- Whether story choices move the state, or only what you do in the open world.
- Whether either character can date anyone else. Nothing suggests it.
The full list of things to do together is on our activities page.
Frequently asked questions
Can you romance Lucia in GTA 6?
Jason and Lucia can be lovers or just partners in crime; the romance is optional, according to Vice's preview report. No other romance option has been shown or reported.
Is there a relationship meter in GTA 6?
Not a bar. Previews describe states instead. Rob Nelson says you can check a status for the couple's relationship in the game, and Postmode spotted a heart symbol between them in the Extended Look.
Does the relationship affect the story?
Somewhat. Vice reports that relationship choices may affect how parts of the story unfold, though Rockstar has not said how much. Nelson says the depth of the relationship changes the range of things the two can do together.
What happens if you ignore the relationship?
Both characters stay in the story as partners in crime. Nelson says you lose options such as holding hands or kissing if you do not deepen the relationship, and effort can restore it.
What counts as a date in GTA 6?
Open-world activities you do together. Vice's September 1 report says Rockstar named the zoo, kayaking and beach walks, and Vice's September 5 roundup adds that a gym visit together can become an emergent date. IGN's preview, via KeenGamer, adds exploring, shopping, salons and robberies. Texting, saying goodnight and holding hands are part of it too.
What changed on this page
- Removed unsourced claims about strip-club jealousy, a beach hand-holding screenshot and a zoo in the Extended Look, credited robberies, shopping, salons and exploring together to IGN's preview as KeenGamer summarized it, credited the Bonnie and Clyde line to Rupert Humphries, added GTABase's right-trigger report for holding hands and Rob Nelson's description of how the bond works, and corrected the preview description. Credited the zoo, kayaking and beach examples to Vice's September 1 report and the gym date to its September 5 roundup, and tagged GTABase-only inputs as rumor.
More gameplay guides
How to Switch Between Jason and Lucia in GTA 6: Controls for PS5 and Xbox
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