Grand Theft Auto 6 is officially coming out in May 2026, arriving 13 years after GTA 5. Right now is the best time to play all the prior installments, and I've been doing just that, 100% completing all the titles on Xbox. However, after playing these games, I realized something: Probably my favorite collectible/side gig in the franchise is something that was absent in GTA 5.

This would be the export car side gig that appeared in GTA 3 through to GTA 4. It was a lot more fun to do than any of the other collectibles and made you appreciate the work Rockstar put in to make all these cars look and play fantastic. GTA 6 must not repeat GTA 5's biggest disappointment, as the gig plays a large part in why the vehicles are so incredible in GTA.

Why The Export Car Lists Were So Fun

Collectibles That Were Actually Useful

Compared to all the other collectibles in the GTA series, the export car lists stand out, and for good reason. For one, it leads to a much more enjoyable exploration experience, as you're simply driving around town looking for the right car. Often, these secret cars are parked in an obscure location but not too far out of reach. This is what makes them so fun to collect compared to others that virtually require a guide. No car is going to be placed on top of a tall building, only reachable by flying, for example.

I've died a couple of times trying to do it, but exporting the FBI Car was so satisfying.

The export car lists are also the most useful collectible, as in GTA 3 and San Andreas, you can import them. It's awesome to get a vast number of slick cars from one area. This way, you'll no longer have to go to one of the few spots a certain vehicle will spawn in just to ride in them. As well, exporting cars in San Andreas and GTA 4 is one of the best ways to earn lots of cash, as long as you return them in perfect condition.

The best export vehicle collectible had to be the FBI Car from GTA 3. In that game, you had to collect all the police vehicles, which included an FBI Car, but getting it is harder than you think. The four-enger FBI Car only spawns when you have a five-star wanted rating, and getting into the vehicle, surviving, and stashing it away is no easy feat.

It's quite tricky to kill all the officers coming at you, get into the FBI Car, and escape. I've died a couple of times trying to do it, but exporting the FBI Car was so satisfying. While it didn't necessarily make the wanted system more immersive, the export lists in GTA 3 created a fun wanted system challenge to overcome. Grand Theft Auto 4 made exporting cars even better.

GTA 4 Improved Export Cars Even More

An Improvement Added To The Adventure

Grand Theft Auto 4 had the export car system, but it worked a little differently than prior games. In GTA 4, the side gig was called Stevie's car thefts. In these missions, you will receive a text detailing the car in question, its address, and a picture. The in-game map didn't have street names even when using the cursor, so you either had to look at the world itself and take note of the signs or use the map that came with a physical copy. That paper map had the street names, and these adventurous missions were so good.

It felt like a treasure-hunting adventure, using the physical map to guide your way to these cars. Sometimes, you might find the car accidentally while doing other things. You'll notice an odd, unusual car parked, get into it, and find out it's the car Stevie wants. It was a total blast and my favorite part of the 100% journey. It was definitely a far better experience than killing all 200 pigeons, which proved to be a nightmare.

Sadly, exporting cars was removed in GTA 5. Sure, GTA Online brought back the feature, but in regards to single-player, it was nowhere to be seen. Since GTA 5 was my first GTA, I didn't notice it back then, but I do now. You may not realize it, but not having the export car lists in GTA 5 has a huge effect on the game.

Why The Export Car Lists Must Return In GTA 6

Rockstar Needs To Do The Cars Justice

The main reason why the export car lists have to be in GTA 6 is that after returning to GTA 5 after playing the older games, I realized a huge problem: I can hardly any vehicles in GTA 5. There are tons of awesomely fast vehicles in GTA Online that were made for it, like the iconic Oppressor Mk 2, but in the base story mode, I can't think of much. That's an issue because I many of the great vehicles in the older games, and it's largely due to this side gig.

Finding and exporting cars allows you to discover and play with all these fantastic vehicles Rockstar created. Rockstar developed the incredible Midnight Club titles, so they know how to make great-feeling cars, and this side gig makes you appreciate the vehicles here so much more. GTA 5's cars feel fantastic, and it's a shame I don't any, minus a few that were mission objectives.

To boot, an import system in GTA 5, where you could request vehicles you've exported, would have helped a lot with collecting cars, as you don't really do that in GTA 5 in the same way as GTA Online. GTA 6 looks phenomenal in every regard, and Rockstar probably included a vast number of vehicles in it. Rockstar puts incredible effort into every part of the game, and to appreciate the vehicle work here, it's best for the export/import feature to return. Without it, many probably wouldn't even see or drive in half the vehicles Rockstar puts into GTA 6.