GTA 6 car customisation is bringing back a much-missed Midnight Club aura

Following the Grand Theft Auto VI ‘Extended Look’ on Netflix, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Rockstar Games’ highly anticipated return to Vice City could be the closest we’ll ever get to a new Midnight Club game.

From its expansive open world and detailed vehicles to its focus on car customisation, GTA VI appears to be scratching the same itch that made Rockstar Games’ forgotten street-racing series so beloved.

The Midnight Club series was first released by Rockstar Games in 2000. Excluding re-releases and expanded editions, it was followed by three mainline sequels, with the most recent entry, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, launching in 2008. Almost 18 years later, fans are still waiting for Rockstar to bring its beloved street-racing series back.

Midnight Club returns in GTA VI, kind of

During the nearly 27-minute GTA VI ‘Extended Look’, we got several glimpses of how driving will work in Vice City. While we’ll need to get our hands on GTA VI ourselves before making any definitive claims, content creator TGGonYT, who attended a preview event at Rockstar Games’ headquarters in Edinburgh, Scotland, said the driving felt much less 'arcadey' and more 'grounded', with the cars having considerably more weight to them.

That might sound somewhat removed from Midnight Club, whose arcade-style driving was a defining part of the series. However, Rockstar clearly appears to be putting considerable effort into GTA VI’s driving mechanics, and it raises an interesting question: if Midnight Club were revived today, could it adopt a similar approach?

A modern Midnight Club could potentially occupy a space somewhere between arcade and simulation racing, much like the Forza Horizon series. It could retain the fast, accessible racing that made the original games so enjoyable while introducing more weight and realism to the vehicles.

And then there are the street races themselves.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Rockstar Games

The racing sequences shown in the GTA VI ‘Extended Look’ had some major Need for Speed vibes, which feels particularly fitting given the influence that arcade street-racing games had on Midnight Club. We saw customised cars sporting elaborate paint jobs and nitrous systems as groups of street racers tore through the neon-lit streets of Vice City.

It certainly feels like Rockstar is leaning heavily into car culture, tuning, and illegal street racing with GTA VI, three things that were fundamental to Midnight Club.

GTA VI Ultimate Edition comes with exclusive garages

Then there’s the controversial content locked behind the GTA VI Ultimate Edition.

The most expensive edition of GTA VI includes three exclusive garages: Rideout Customs Mod Shop, One-Eyed Willie’s Mod Shop, and Paradise Garage. The latter is specifically designed for off-road vehicles, but all three are notable additions for anyone interested in the game's car culture.

Of course, GTA VI will offer other garages for players who purchase the standard edition, so these aren't necessarily going to represent the full extent of the game's vehicle customisation.

Still, the fact that Rockstar is reserving these particular garages for the Ultimate Edition naturally raises questions about what they will offer. Could they feature unique customisation options? Will they provide access to modifications that aren't available elsewhere? Could they tie into GTA VI's street-racing activities?

Right now, we simply don't know, so it's best not to get ahead of ourselves.

The Ultimate Edition also includes a Classic Car Collection, which allows players to track down abandoned vehicles and restore them. That certainly sounds reminiscent of the barn finds featured in the Forza Horizon series, giving players another reason to explore Vice City beyond the main story.

We might be clutching at straws by hoping GTA VI will deliver its own version of Midnight Club. But after almost 18 years without a new entry in Rockstar's beloved street-racing series, can you really blame us for looking for signs of its return?

Grand Theft Auto VI will be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19, 2026.