The minimap in Grand Theft Auto VI has three display modes: it can fade with the rest of the HUD, remain on screen in Classic mode or be replaced by a directional compass. Players can also set nearby waypoints without opening the full map and an active waypoint keeps the minimap visible while the route is in use.
That gives players a choice between familiar GTA-style GPS guidance and a less obstructed view of Leonida. The map still shows routes, distances and police search areas. Some optional encounters, however, will have no objective, blip or map icon leading to them.
How the three minimap modes work
The default HUD is designed to clear the screen when its information is not needed. Most of the display fades away; tapping down on the D-pad temporarily restores the minimap, cash and character status bars before they disappear again. Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson described the aim as keeping "the screen clean."1
Players who prefer a permanent map can select Classic mode in the settings. The third option replaces the minimap with a slim directional compass similar to the one in Red Dead Redemption 2.1
GTA 6 minimap and navigation modes
Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
Default | Most HUD information fades when it is not needed. Tap down on the D-pad to bring back the minimap, cash and status bars temporarily. |
Classic | Keeps the minimap on screen instead of letting it fade. |
Compass | Replaces the minimap with a directional compass. |
The three navigation displays demonstrated during a pre-release PlayStation 5 session at Rockstar North.
The default mode does not hide the map when the player needs to follow a route. Setting a waypoint keeps the minimap visible while that waypoint is active. Once there is no active route, the display can recede until the player calls it back.1
Setting a waypoint without opening the map
Tapping and holding down on the D-pad perform different jobs. A tap briefly restores the standard HUD information. Holding the button brings nearby locations into view around the character without leaving the game world; pressing R3 on one of them sets it as a quick waypoint. The minimap then stays visible while the route is active.1
The full map remains available when a nearby marker is not enough. On PlayStation 5, pressing the touchpad opens it directly, while the Options button reaches it through the normal pause menu.1
What the GTA 6 minimap looks like
Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look shows a rounded-square minimap in the lower-left corner. Roads and junctions have visible width, nearby buildings rise from the map and the active route follows the road network. A distance readout sits above the map, with the current compass direction below it.2
The result looks closer to a modern sat-nav than the flatter linework used in Grand Theft Auto V. Mission driving uses a magenta route in one scene, while blue or teal navigation appears elsewhere in the presentation.
There is no 2D-to-3D minimap switch
An early breakdown incorrectly reported that players could switch the minimap between flat and raised layouts. The report was corrected after the preview notes were checked. The demonstrated choices are the fading default HUD, Classic mode and the compass; they are not separate 2D and 3D maps.1
How police searches appear on the map
During the four-star pursuit shown in the Extended Look, the minimap becomes a red search area instead of plotting every officer as an individual dot. A red-and-blue indicator along the map's edge points towards the police presence. The player can see the area being searched without being given every officer's exact position.2
Some discoveries will not be marked
The minimap will not reveal everything waiting in Leonida. Some optional encounters and discoveries have no objective, blip or map icon pointing towards them, leaving players to find them by exploring rather than clearing a checklist of markers.
That approach does not remove conventional navigation. Routes, selected destinations and nearby places remain available when players need them. It instead separates places the player has chosen to visit from discoveries that are meant to be found naturally. Readers looking for locations already identified in official material can use GTA BOOM's interactive GTA 6 map.
Pre-release details
The HUD options and controls were demonstrated on a pre-release PlayStation 5 build, and the Extended Look was also captured on PlayStation 5. The names of those settings and the corresponding Xbox buttons may change before Grand Theft Auto VI launches. In the version shown, players could choose a fading HUD, a permanent minimap or a compass, and set quick waypoints without opening the full map.