Woman issues warning to anyone with a boyfriend or husband planning to play GTA 6 after noticing new feature

A wave of TikTok videos telling men they're 'not allowed' to play Grand Theft Auto 6 has racked up hundreds of thousands of views between them, with the debate has now spilling over onto Reddit, where a man says his own girlfriend threatened to leave him over the exact same feature.

The trend kicked off after Rockstar Games' extended gameplay reveal last week confirmed that GTA 6 protagonists Jason and Lucia are locked into an on-again, off-again romance that players have to actively maintain: texting her back, taking her on dates, and keeping her happy enough that the relationship doesn't sour.

One of the biggest videos on the subject, viewed more than 815,000 on TikTok came from Florida-based creator Shelby Haas.

"In absolutely no human way is my fiancé playing GTA 6," Haas said, after learning that ignoring in-game texts from Lucia has consequences.

"You literally have to maintain a relationship with a girl in the video game and text her and she'll get mad if you don't text her back, and you have to take her on dates."

Rockstar said the relationship in the game is 'completely optional'. (Rockstar Games)

According to preview coverage cited by Attack of the Fanboy, the bond between Jason and Lucia isn't fixed, it can strengthen or weaken depending on player choices, with skipped dates and unanswered messages reportedly causing it to cool over time.

Shelby also pointed to the game's strip clubs and a 'nudist community' as further reasons for her stance, and urged followers not to let 'your boyfriend or fiancé or husband' play the game.

A post on the r/Advice subreddit featured a man saying his girlfriend had threatened to end their relationship over GTA 6, despite his insistence the game 'isn't a fetish game.'

Reaction to Haas' video has been split roughly down the middle.

"Girl, thank you for putting me on bc absolutely not," one commenter wrote, while another hit back: "it's just a game .. are we that insecure???"

Rockstar North head of development Rob Nelson (far left) has said the relationship between Jason and Lucia is optional and not required to complete the game. (Photo by Joe Corrigan/Getty Images)

Rockstar North's head of development, Rob Nelson, has previously addressed the mechanic directly, telling IGN the relationship is entirely optional for players who aren't interested.

"I have to say it feels great, if you are into it as a concept," Nelson said. "Don't bother with it if you aren't. Up to you."

He added that the story's setup means Jason and Lucia 'stay together for most of the story and work together' as partners in crime.

When does GTA 6 come out?

Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Anticipation has already broken records away from the couples' quarrels sparked online: a 27-minute extended look at the game pulled in 31.1 million views on Netflix in just four days last week, according to Variety, making it the streamer's most-watched title of the week after only six hours of exclusivity before the footage moved to YouTube.