Rockstar's co-studio head Rob Nelson just defended GTA 6's gas station simulator by calling the 10-second refuel cutscene 'pretty fast for a fill-up.' Players who wanted to skip the real-world tedium and keep the crime spree flowing are already lighting the fuse on another 'immersion vs fun' war.

TGG's extended preview footage showed gas stations handling repairs, refuels for gas cars, and recharges for EVs in one quick interaction. Nelson reportedly asked if people would even like it, which tells you everything about how much internal second-guessing this feature is getting. Steal a getaway car with an empty tank mid-heist and suddenly you're the one running on fumes while the cops close in.

This is the same studio that made RDR2's inventory micromanagement a full-time job. Ten seconds might sound harmless on paper, but when it breaks every chase, every job, and every 'one more thing' session, it stops being cute and starts being a tax on your time. Rockstar is betting players will plan around it. History says players will just steal another car instead.