Vehicle customisation has long been a defining pillar of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, allowing players to express identity, optimise performance and integrate their personal aesthetic into the open-world sandbox. While land vehicles have historically dominated the customisation systems (most notably through Los Santos Customs in Grand Theft Auto V), boats have traditionally been afforded a far more limited modification suite. With Grand Theft Auto VI set within the fictional state of Leonida — a region based on Florida that includes Vice City, the Leonida Keys and the Grassrivers (an Everglades analogue) — maritime traversal is anticipated to play a far greater role than in previous instalments (Rockstar Games, 2025; Wikipedia, 2026). Consequently, boat customisation is expected to receive substantially expanded design attention to match the centrality of waterborne gameplay.
The Leonida setting is unique within the series for its dense network of waterways, marinas, beaches, intracoastal canals and offshore islands. The second official trailer, released in May 2025, prominently featured speedboats traversing the Keys, jet skis cutting between mangroves, and luxury yachts moored in Vice City harbours (Rockstar Games, 2025). Because the map's geography effectively forces players to engage with watercraft for both narrative and free-roam activities — including smuggling, fishing, leisure and traversal between the Keys — it follows that Rockstar must provide a customisation framework commensurate with the increased screen time of marine vessels (Tassi, 2025). This represents a meaningful evolution from GTA V, where boats such as the Dinghy, Squalo and Marquis received virtually no modification beyond paint and were generally treated as disposable utility vehicles (GTA Wiki, 2024).
Drawing from leaked development footage, public marketing materials and franchise precedent, boat customisation in Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to span several functional and cosmetic categories.
Engine upgrades are the most fundamental performance mod, encompassing tiered swaps that increase top speed, acceleration and torque on choppy water. Propeller upgrades, supercharged outboards, twin- and triple-engine configurations, and nitrous oxide injection systems are all consistent with the franchise's exaggerated automotive tuning logic transferred to marine craft (GTA Wiki, 2024). Hull modifications — including reinforced fibreglass, lightweight racing hulls and stepped planing hulls — would influence handling, fuel economy and the vessel's ability to cut through wave chop, a physics behaviour Rockstar has reportedly invested heavily in for the RAGE engine (Henderson, 2024).
Cosmetic customisation is expected to mirror Los Santos Customs's depth, including multi-layer paint jobs (primary, secondary, pearlescent, matte and chrome), custom liveries, decals, neon underglow waterline lighting, interior upholstery for cabins, deck materials (teak, holly, synthetic), and chrome or carbon-fibre trim packages. Vice City's neon-soaked 1980s heritage strongly implies that retro-styled lighting kits will feature prominently (Tassi, 2025).
Given the criminal premise of the game and the smuggling subculture of the Florida Keys reflected in Jason Duval's backstory, weaponised boats are highly likely. Precedent exists in GTA Online's Kosatka submarine and weaponised yachts, suggesting that mounted machine guns, missile launchers, sonar countermeasures and stealth coatings may be offered for specific vessel classes (Rockstar Games, 2024). Cargo holds, hidden compartments and false bulkheads for contraband missions are plausible narrative-integrated mods.
For larger vessels — yachts, sportfishers and houseboats — customisation may extend to interior layouts, bedrooms, galleys, jacuzzi decks, helipads, jet-ski garages and tender bays. This mirrors the GTA Online Galaxy Super Yacht model but with deeper personalisation (GTA Wiki, 2024). Fishing rigs, dive platforms, wakeboard towers and tow bars represent leisure-oriented mods that align with Leonida's recreational identity.
Rather than a centralised garage system, marina-based workshops are anticipated. Speculated vendors include independent boatyards in the Keys, premium marinas in Vice City, and black-market chop-shops accessible only after progressing in criminal storylines (Henderson, 2024). Mobile mechanic services delivered via the in-game phone — an expansion of the iFruit ecosystem — may allow on-water repairs and minor cosmetic adjustments.
A long-standing limitation in GTA V was that boats could not be stored persistently in the same manner as cars. Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to resolve this through dedicated marina slips functioning as garages, with insurance coverage for destroyed vessels (Tassi, 2025). In the online component — which Rockstar has confirmed will be a significant offering — customised boats are likely to feature in PvP regattas, smuggling sell-missions and cooperative heists requiring maritime infiltration (Wikipedia, 2026).
Boat customisation in Grand Theft Auto VI is positioned to evolve from a peripheral afterthought into a core expressive system. The Florida-inspired geography, the protagonists' connection to drug-running culture in the Keys, and Rockstar's evident investment in marine physics collectively justify a customisation suite rivalling that of land vehicles. Performance tuning, cosmetic styling, weaponisation and lifestyle upgrades are all plausible pillars, supported by marina-based vendors and persistent storage. If realised at the depth hinted by trailers and industry reporting, boat modding will represent one of the most significant systemic upgrades in the series's three-decade history.
GTA Wiki (2024) Boats in Grand Theft Auto. Available at: https://gta.fandom.com/wiki/Boats (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Henderson, T. (2024) 'What we know about Grand Theft Auto VI's vehicle systems', Insider Gaming, 12 March. Available at: https://insider-gaming.com/gta-6-vehicles/ (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Rockstar Games (2024) Grand Theft Auto Online: The Cayo Perico Heist. Available at: https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Rockstar Games (2025) Grand Theft Auto VI – Trailer 2. Available at: https://www.rockstargames.com/VI (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Tassi, P. (2025) 'Everything Grand Theft Auto VI's second trailer revealed about Vice City life', Forbes, 7 May. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/ (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Wikipedia (2026) Grand Theft Auto VI. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_VI (Accessed: 14 May 2026).