GTA games and law enforcement gel together like peanut butter and asphalt. Rockstar’s open-world franchise practically built its reputation on all the chaotic ways it lets you mow down hordes of uniformed cops, torch police vehicles, and yank down helicopters. Naturally, we’ve got high expectations for GTA 6 to carry the flag forward on this front. But a popular fan theory suggests that the upcoming title might flip the script entirely and let you roleplay as an undercover cop instead.
If Jason Is an Undercover Cop, GTA 6 Might Be Pulling the Ultimate Twist
We know very little about GTA 6’s male protagonist, Jason Duval, barring a sliver of information on his background and his fiery dynamic with co-protagonist Lucia Caminos. As stated on the official GTA 6 webpage, the character grew up around grifters and crooks, but eventually joined the army in an attempt to follow the straight and narrow. However, this endeavor capsized at some point, causing Jason to find employment with local drug runners in the Leonida Keys.
What happened between his army days and his descent into crime remains a total mystery. And it’s this ambiguity, coupled with some eagle-eyed sleuthing, that led to the emergence of a popular theory, which suggests that Jason could be in cahoots with the law. More specifically, the theory speculates that the character is an undercover cop tasked with keeping tabs on Lucia.
For evidence to support these claims, tinfoil theorists pointed towards scenes from both trailers, highlighting Jason’s attire and comparing it to snippets from police-related sequences. This post from ‘GamerDetective’ on X offers a nice summation, with arrows indicating key details such as his baseball cap and police vest.
In addition to this, there are a couple of scenes in trailer two that seem out of the ordinary. The first is a dialogue exchange between Jason and a corrections officer, who appears to recognise our protagonist, possibly from a prior meeting. And the second is Rockstar fanning the rumor’s flames through a cutscene of a gang member pointedly asking Jason if he’s a “fed.” Given the studio’s trademark attention to detail, there’s a high chance that these seemingly throwaway moments are breadcrumbs to something bigger. On the flip side, however, it’s also possible that these scenes aim to misdirect the community, dragging their attention away from a different nugget tucked in the trailer.
Whatever the case may be, the theory certainly has legs to it. And if Jason is indeed a cop, he’s clearly read up on Wei Shen’s guide to undercover policing, given the amount of wanton destruction he engages in during the second trailer. The collateral damage is actually the main argument against the theory, and to that, we’d like to tap on the signboard that reads ‘ludonarrative dissonance.’
With all that out of the way, it’s time to get to the fun part and explore the rich vein of gameplay possibilities that come with a premise centered on an undercover cop.
From Chaos to Cop, GTA 6 Might Just Make You Think About Consequences
Playing as a cop is a prospect familiar to the millions of GTA RP players out there. The immersive role-playing game lets you become the boys in blue and cruise around Los Santos, monitoring traffic, responding to distress calls, de-escalating situations, and ensuring that Johnny Law’s long arm keeps the city in check. Officers can also participate in SWAT raids, hostage rescue missions, and undercover operations, before rounding out their day on the job with a freshly-glazed donut.
Given Rockstar’s acquisition of RP powerhouse, Cfx.re, it’s easy to imagine that some of the activities mentioned above will make it into GTA 6 — only if the undercover theory is true, of course.
Another direction Rockstar could go in is injecting a bit of peril while playing as Jason. Being a cop, the character will need to hold up his cover by proving he’s willing to get his hands dirty. At the same time, his superiors will expect him to minimize collateral damage and cause as little bloodshed as possible. Walking this tightrope between lawman and lawbreaker makes for some exciting gameplay possibilities.
Picture a mission where your criminal crew demands that you eliminate witnesses. Do you commit the cardinal sin and turn into a murderer? Or do you refuse, risking suspicion from your dangerous allies and potentially blowing your cover? These kinds of moral crossroads have rarely featured in GTA games, and they could elevate standard missions into psychological tightropes. The effectiveness of these moments hinges on the execution, of course, but it’s hard to go wrong with what is essentially a well-implemented morality mechanic.
Tying all of this together could be a dynamic police reputation system that tracks Jason’s standing with law enforcement based on your decisions. Kill innocent civilians, botch assignments, or draw unwanted attention during missions, and your superiors could turn on you. On the flip side, keeping things too clean could raise red flags within your criminal crew, causing them to start questioning your loyalty.
This system could then bleed into choice and consequence, complete with branching story paths and different endings, and…I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this. The point is, Jason’s police affiliations should be treated with the same sincerity as Arthur Morgan’s standing with the deer or Jin Sakai’s balancing act between an honorable samurai and a renegade assassin. If his undercover status is simply reserved for cutscenes and story missions, a ton of tantalizing potential would go to waste.
All of this analyzing is dependent on the fan theory coming true. And if it does, I sincerely hope Rockstar explores the gameplay possibilities this angle offers. With that said, do you have any ideas for police-related gameplay mechanics that should be added to GTA 6? Let us know in the comments.
