GTA 6 offers two characters to choose from, but Rockstar now says: Choosing won’t always be possible

Jason und Lucia auf Bike
Update from September 1, 2026, 13:23 hours: We have added which key to use to switch characters in GTA 6.

Between which characters can one switch in the game? You can switch between the two protagonists in GTA 6, Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval. 

Are both characters available to me from the start? We still do not know how early one can actually play both characters. However, due to Lucia’s prison stay, from which she is picked up by Jason, as seen in the trailer, it can be assumed that you can play as Jason first and Lucia will come in at a later point.

Jason is a free man from the beginning of the game, whereas Lucia is not yet.

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When and how the switch works

Is the switch possible anytime and anywhere? It depends, that completely relies on the mission. Anyone who has played the predecessor GTA 5 knows that you can usually switch between the two characters outside of missions, as long as they have not gone underground and have already been “unlocked” through the course of the story.

However, there are missions in GTA 6 where you cannot freely choose between Lucia and Jason if certain situations are intended to be experienced from the perspective of a specific character. You can find more about this on the first page of this article, where co-studio head of Rockstar North, Rob Nelson, explains what Rockstar was thinking.

How does the switch work in GTA 6? Since the switching principle resembles that of GTA 5, it can be assumed that it will proceed similarly to its predecessor. In that game, you hold the down button on the D-pad and select the character in a player wheel.

In a closer look, however, we have already seen how switching between Lucia and Jason occurs while driving a car. For this, you simply use the R1 button.

It is also visible that, just like in GTA 5, you can switch characters over distance. To do this, you zoom out of the map before searching and locating the other character, before jumping into their shoes.

Which character you choose in GTA 6 might be more important and come with more consequences than one might think. Because decisions are more important than ever in the latest installment of the series: Those who play GTA 6 like before will suffer severely – whether in heists or in love