I have played through Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 more times than I can count, and I will probably go back again. Rockstar is extraordinarily good at scripting missions. The choreography, music, animation, and environmental storytelling all click together with a precision that few studios can match. I still remember the multi-part heists in GTA 5, and I still laugh at Arthur and Lenny getting spectacularly drunk in Red Dead Redemption 2. Those moments work because Rockstar knows exactly how to excite, surprise, and empower me.

But there is a contradiction at the heart of Rockstar's mission design, and in 2026 it feels sharper than ever. Rockstar builds some of the biggest, most dynamic open worlds in the business. Red Dead Redemption 2 is still basically peerless in how alive and reactive it feels. Everything sits on top of a complex, interlocking simulation, and curious or mischievous players are rewarded with emergent, memorable stories. Los Santos is not as richly layered as the Wild West, but it is still an incredible playground, propped up by systems that are endlessly fun to poke at.

Then a mission starts, and the world stiffens up. Suddenly the simulation does not matter. I am there to dance to Rockstar's tune, playing each carefully choreographed sequence exactly as the developer intended. If I stray from the prescribed path or try to dream up my own solution, I get a slap on the wrist. Sometimes the game fails me outright. Sometimes it quietly nudges me back into line. Either way, the message is clear: the openness of the world stops at the mission door.

I understand that some games are much worse at making players feel stifled. Assassin's Creed 3 was infamous for triggering an instant game over if you tried to use your imagination or navigated the world in a slightly unusual way. Rockstar hides the linearity better than that. The missions are polished, dramatic, and often genuinely thrilling. But the moments where I am punished for venturing outside the mission bounds, or for not performing a task in one specific way, feel increasingly old-fashioned.

In 2026, open-world games have only become more systemic, and players are more aware of the seams. I have spent years watching sandboxes promise freedom and then deliver interactive cutscenes. Rockstar is better than most at disguising the leash, but I can still feel it. That disconnect bothers me more with every replay. The world says I can be creative; the mission says I cannot.

What I want from future Rockstar games is not the removal of missions. I still want stories, stakes, and spectacle. I want the line between the world and the story blurred. I want missions that take greater advantage of the simulation, similar in philosophy to immersive sims like Dishonored and Deus Ex. If I have to rob a bank in Grand Theft Auto 6, I do not want to be paraded through a series of lavishly produced interactive cutscenes. I want to case the place myself, figure out a cool way to do the job, and react creatively when something goes wrong.

That does not mean every mission needs to be a full immersive sim. There is still value in scripted missions. I have nothing against a developer nudging me through a carefully choreographed selection of set-pieces, as long as there is some agency and I am not just mindlessly pressing the action button. My problem is that I feel like I have done it countless times before. Rockstar's worlds deserve better. Imagine a setting as good as Red Dead Redemption 2's, but with deep, reactive missions that let me choose my own approach instead of bending to a level designer's will.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain already proved this was possible more than a decade ago. Its open world was filled with compelling, non-linear, largely unscripted missions that gave me full control over my approach and execution. It is remarkable how ahead of its time that game was, and how many open-world games still pale in comparison in many ways. The freedom of MGS 5's missions combined with Rockstar's production values, sense of drama, and knack for dreaming up interesting scenarios would be an extremely potent mix.

Even a blend of traditional scripted missions with the occasional open-ended objective would be a step in an exciting direction. I enjoy being told stories, but I also like making my own. That is one of the great benefits of setting players free in a sandbox instead of telling them where to go and what to do. I like Grand Theft Auto as it is, but I am ready for something new. In 2026, with Grand Theft Auto 6 looming over the conversation, I hope Rockstar is ready too. 🎮