GTA 6 vs RDR2 Wildlife: 170 Species, but Do They Do Anything?

Rockstar confirmed over 170 animal species in GTA 6, with a tracking system sorting them into Rare, Discoverable and Legendary tiers. The instinctive comparison is Red Dead Redemption 2, which shipped roughly 200 species and built half a game on top of them. The counts are similar. What surrounds them is not, at least not yet, and the gap is the whole story.

The raw counts

Species counts across games are always a little slippery because nobody defines the unit the same way, but the two games are clearly in the same bracket. GTA 6 has vastly more animals than GTA 5 did, and roughly RDR2's order of magnitude. That alone is a statement of intent. Our full breakdown of the GTA 6 figures is in 170-plus species confirmed.

What RDR2's animals were for

This is where the two diverge sharply. In RDR2 every animal fed multiple interlocking systems:

• Hunting with weapon-appropriateness rules, where the wrong calibre ruined a pelt
• Skinning and carcass quality, with three star ratings and decay over time
• Crafting through the Trapper and the Fence, unlocking clothing and satchel upgrades
• Cooking and provisions, feeding into core stamina and health mechanics
• The Compendium, which filled in through studying, hunting and skinning
• Legendary animals, sixteen named, scripted, one-time encounters with unique pelts
• Fishing as a full standalone mechanic with legendary fish

The animals were not decoration. They were the input to an economy. A deer in RDR2 was a satchel upgrade, a meal and a compendium entry. A deer in GTA 5 was a thing that existed.

What GTA 6's animals are for, as far as anyone knows

Confirmed:

• 170-plus species, including 60-plus birds and 30-plus land mammals
• Named species including alligators, manatees, flamingos, pelicans, iguanas, cane toads, armadillos, rhesus macaques, sharks, whales, rays, turtles and jellyfish
• Visual detail including iridescence and simulated fur
• A tracking system with Rare, Discoverable and Legendary tiers

Not confirmed, and this list is longer:

• Hunting. No hunting mechanic has been announced.
• Fishing. Never confirmed, despite a map dominated by water. See swimming and diving for what actually is confirmed.
• Skinning, crafting or cooking. Nothing.
• Whether tracking feeds 100 percent completion
• Whether photography counts as discovery, which would tie into photo mode
• What Legendary means here, or how many there are
• Any reward beyond the log itself

So the honest comparison is: similar species count, completely unknown system depth.

Why GTA cannot just copy RDR2's approach

There is a real design reason the systems might stay shallow, and it is not laziness.

RDR2's hunting economy worked because the setting demanded it. A frontier drifter in 1899 with no supermarket has an obvious reason to shoot a rabbit. Survival mechanics, provisions, crafting from hides: all of it is diegetic in a Western.

GTA 6 is set in modern-day Florida, where the protagonists are career criminals with a smartphone and a rideshare app. Skinning an armadillo for a satchel upgrade would be absurd. Whatever wildlife system exists has to make sense for people whose income comes from robbery, and "log the rare bird you saw" fits that far better than "process the carcass."

That points toward an observational system rather than an extractive one: find, identify, record, complete. Closer to RDR2's compendium minus the hunting, or to the wildlife photography side quests in other open worlds. It is speculation, but it is the speculation that fits the fiction.

The one place GTA 6 clearly goes further

Ecological specificity. RDR2's animals were largely native North American wildlife appropriate to their biome, done superbly. GTA 6's named list includes rhesus macaques and cane toads, neither of which is native Florida wildlife. Both are established invasive populations, both are locally notorious, and including them is a research decision rather than an art decision. More in invasive species in Leonida.

Combine that with the confirmed localised and persistent weather and a genuinely interesting possibility opens: animal behaviour that responds to conditions. Birds going quiet before a storm, iguanas going torpid in a cold snap, which is a real and regularly reported Florida event. Rockstar has confirmed nothing about behavioural coupling between wildlife and weather. It is the most natural next question and the one nobody has answered. See the weather system rebuild.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does GTA 6 have more animals than RDR2?

No. RDR2 had roughly 200 species, GTA 6 has 170-plus. The counts are comparable, with RDR2 slightly ahead.

Can you hunt animals in GTA 6 like in RDR2?

No hunting mechanic has been confirmed. Rockstar has announced a tracking system with Rare, Discoverable and Legendary tiers, and nothing about hunting, skinning or crafting.

Are there Legendary animals in GTA 6?

"Legendary" is confirmed as one of three tracking tiers. Rockstar has not said how many exist, whether they are scripted encounters, or what finding one rewards.

Is fishing in GTA 6?

Not confirmed. Confirmed water content is swimming, diving, SCUBA, jet skis, fanboats, canoes and boats. No fishing mechanic has been announced.

The Bottom Line

On population, GTA 6 is playing in RDR2's league and that is a genuine leap from GTA 5. On systems, the two are not comparable yet, because Rockstar has confirmed a count and three tier names and nothing else. The setting argues for an observational system rather than RDR2's extractive one, which would be the right call. Until Rockstar explains what tracking actually does, the correct read is that GTA 6 has RDR2's ecosystem and none of its announced mechanics.