Summary

  • A promotional image on Grand Theft Auto 6's website has fans convinced that children will be present in the overworld.
  • No GTA game has had the physical presence of child NPCs, though children, pregnancy and school buses have been referenced in the past.
  • Historically speaking, open world games have not had children present in order to avoid players attempting to maim, hurt or injure non-adults.

With Grand Theft Auto 6's second trailer officially out in the wild, it feels like every minute, fans are making some sort of discovery. Whether that's some reference to Rockstar's other franchise, Red Dead Redemption 2, or hints of there being another state to explore, fans are doing their damnedest to figure everything out before the game's May 2026 release.

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Now, those same fans are convinced that a promotional screenshot on GTA 6's website is hinting at a series first — children in the Grand Theft Auto world.

Grand Theft Auto Has Never Featured Children

In a tweet shared Monday, a GTA fan account believes they have spotted what appears to be a child in a screenshot on the GTA 6 website.

The image, which is listed as Grassrivers 02, does indeed appear to feature a smaller NPC, though it's not definitively a child one way or the other.

To this point, the GTA series has never had children in its overworld, a conscious decision made by Rockstar to prevent anyone from attempting to injure, maim or harm a child NPC. It would also impact the game's rating, which is already a contentious issue. Children, of course, have been referenced, and school buses have been seen, but actual walking child NPCs simply hasn't happened.

Historically speaking, children have been off limits, particularly in open world games or titles where players have increased freedom. Even in Cyberpunk 2077, which did have visible children, players could not shoot, harm or run over the characters.

Recently, inZoi patched out the ability to harm children, after a viral video showcased a player running over child NPCs, with Krafton calling it an "unintended bug" that doesn't reflect the "intent" of the game. Elsewhere, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's executive producer shared why kids aren't part of the open world, alluding to the potential for PR problems and overall player misbehavior.

It's incredibly likely that the promo image is simply that: a promotional image meant to highlight the level of detail that will be present in GTA 6. That, or the supposed child is just a smaller adult. Of course, we could be wrong in our assessment, but history has shown us that Rockstar is very protective of its brand.

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Grand Theft Auto 6

Action Adventure Systems OpenCritic Reviews Released May 26, 2026 Developer(s) Rockstar Games Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Engine Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE) Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Prequel(s) Grand Theft Auto 5 Franchise Grand Theft Auto Powered by Expand Collapse Next

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