This leak has been floating around for a while, but it's looking closer to being all but confirmed. A few indicators:

-The preexisting discussion around Jason possibly being a cop, and Lucia strictly watched with an ankle monitor could be setting pretext as to why their killing of civilians would be unlikely/unavailable.

-In RDR2, some of the more realistic aspects of deaths were removed from RDR1, such as characters grabbing on to environmental items as they die and fall. This would be in keeping with this general trend away from gratuitious murder.

-Another precedent was set by Rockstar when they published LA Noire, where NPCs would jump quickly away from cars intending to hit them, and it was another title wherein killing was sometimes expected while being prohibited against civilians. Bully also restricted violence against certain NPCs like younger students or authority figures to maintain a specific tone and avoid excessive controversy.

-Given the advances in realism, Rockstar has no desire to see YouTube compilations of the murder of hyperrealistic black folks or similar.

So on May 26, 2026, be ready to be able to shoot cops & robbers as usual, but also expect this new evolution of the Rockstar formula.