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The Grand Theft Auto run button has changed after 25 years – GTA 6 no longer requires you to tap a face button to peg it
Rockstar has changed how players sprint in Grand Theft Auto for the first time in nearly 25 years, moving away from the series' longstanding requirement to repeatedly tap a face button. In GTA 6, running will instead be triggered by clicking in the left analogue stick (L3), bringing the game in line with the control scheme used by most modern shooters and third-person titles. The change ends one of the franchise's most distinctive and divisive control quirks, which had persisted across every mainline entry since the original games introduced it.
The detail emerged after Rockstar showed GTA 6 to select media and content creators, including Italian YouTuber MikeShowSha, whose Q&A video revealed the new sprint control before spreading via Reddit and social media. With L3 as the default, players will click the stick to start sprinting and release or reposition it to return to normal movement, mirroring conventions established in shooters for well over a decade. Separately, Rockstar has confirmed GTA 6 will run at 30 frames per second on consoles at launch, with any potential 60fps performance mode, if added at all, arriving only after release. The game is due out on 19th November for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
In short
- GTA 6 drops its 25-year tap-to-sprint control scheme.
- Sprinting now defaults to clicking the left stick (L3).
- GTA 6 confirmed to run at 30fps on consoles at launch.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Replacing repeated button taps with a stick click brings GTA 6 closer to a familiar modern control standard and may make sprinting more comfortable during long sessions. It also lets players focus on steering and the action instead of repeatedly pressing a face button.
The case against
The old tap-to-sprint control was a distinctive part of GTA’s feel, and keeping it could have honoured players’ muscle memory and the series’ identity. Some may also find clicking the movement stick less comfortable or harder to use while steering, so the change may not suit every player.
Explained simply
Grand Theft Auto is a long-running series of open-world action games from Rockstar Games, usually set in fictional cities where players explore, drive and take part in missions. Its controls have often used repeated button presses for actions such as sprinting, a feature carried through the main games for many years.
In modern games, sprinting is commonly assigned to pressing the left analogue stick, known as L3. Changing a familiar control can affect how returning players handle the game, while a more common layout may feel familiar to people who play other action games.
GTA 6 is planned for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Its control choices are part of wider expectations around how a major new game should feel and perform on current consoles.
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