GTA 6's crosshair changes colour to warn you whether you will kill or only incapacitate

White is a normal shot, yellow leaves the enemy alive and red kills. In melee the screen edge does the warning, visible in the jewellery heist of the official gameplay.

Deciding whether you kill someone in a GTA has always come down to where you aim and a bit of luck. In GTA 6 it stops being luck: the game tells you in advance what your shot will cause.

What each colour means

The same logic applies to stabs and punches. The difference is that melee has no reticle, so the warning arrives another way: the edge of the screen turns yellow when you knock someone out and red when you kill them.

Where this appears in the official gameplay

You do not have to take the description on trust: the effect shows up in "An Extended Look", though it lasts a blink. It is during the jewellery store robbery: Lucia struggles with a customer, breaks free with a button sequence and lands a punch that knocks him out. The screen edge flags it.

Why it changes how you play

It is one more piece of the combat Rockstar has rebuilt from scratch, and it fits the rest:

• Enemies do not appear on the minimap, so you have to watch the screen.
• Aiming is freer, with assist adjustable in the settings.
• There is a criminal profile tracking how you behave, in the style of Red Dead Redemption 2's honour. Leaving someone alive stops being a whim and starts having consequences.

It is all together in weapons and combat.

Can the colour warning be turned off?

Nothing has been said, nor whether accessibility options will let you change it.

Is there any point in leaving an enemy alive?

It fits the criminal profile that tracks your behaviour, but Rockstar has not detailed exactly what it rewards or punishes.

Sources: mechanic described by creator TGG after visiting Rockstar Games and reported by Vandal; the robbery scene, in the official gameplay "Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look". Image: Rockstar Games.