GTA 6 Animals List: 170+ Species, Monkeys, Hurricanes
The short answer
Game Informer’s September 29, 2026 exclusive says Leonida has more than 170 animal species across land, air and sea, with several that have never appeared in a Rockstar game (Game Informer). Reported A second exclusive confirms tropical storms and hurricanes (Game Informer). Reported Both were written from details Rockstar gave the magazine for its November cover story. Rockstar has not published its own animal list, so nothing below is labeled Official.
What is confirmed, reported or rumor
This is the part most lists skip. Different outlets mix all three.
| Claim | Status | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 170+ animal species | Reported by Game Informer, quoting Rockstar | Game Informer exclusive. Reported |
| Flamingos, pelicans, manatees, alligators | Reported by Game Informer | Same article, as native animals. Reported |
| Green iguanas, cane toads, feral cats, rhesus macaques (invasive) | Reported by Game Informer | Same article. Reported |
| Rare, Discoverable and Legendary animals, trackable | Reported by Game Informer | Same article. Identities kept secret. Reported |
| Tropical storms and hurricanes | Reported by Game Informer | Weather exclusive. Reported |
| 60+ bird types and 30+ land mammals | Secondhand | Dexerto, Kotaku and Gfinity attribute it to the paywalled cover story. We could not read it. Rumor / unconfirmed |
| Longer named lists (deer, bobcats, cougars, dogs, sharks, whales…) | Mostly from trailers, screenshots and previews | Compiled by Gfinity and others, not a Rockstar list. Rumor / unconfirmed |
| Owning pets | Not confirmed | No source. Rumor / unconfirmed |
| Hunting and fishing | Not confirmed | GTABase, a fan site, says both return from RDR2 without citing Rockstar. Rumor / unconfirmed |
Where “reported” appears, the facts reach us through a magazine, not a Rockstar page we read directly.
The numbers do not all match
A few things got garbled as the story spread:
- 170 vs 150. One Gfinity summary line says “150+,” but Game Informer, Kotaku, Dexerto and Gfinity’s own body text all say 170+. Use 170.
- 60 birds and 30 mammals. These numbers appear in several outlets, all attributed to the cover story. The free Game Informer article does not give them. Treat them as likely, not proven.
- What a “species” means. Rockstar has not said whether 170 counts breeds or variants. Keep that in mind before comparing it to another game.
GTA 6 animals list: what is named
The animals below are the ones named in Game Informer’s free exclusive. Reported
Native: flamingos, pelicans, manatees, alligators.
Invasive: green iguanas, cane toads, feral cats and rhesus macaques. The article’s line on the last one: “Yes, Florida has monkeys.”
The longer unofficial list
Game Informer did not name these animals. They come from trailers, screenshots and previews, as compiled by Gfinity (34 entries), plus sharks and whales named by Kotaku. Rumor / unconfirmed GTABase keeps a longer fan-built list with the same caveat.
| Type | Animals named by outlets |
|---|---|
| Land | Beavers, boars, bobcats, cats, cougars, deer, dogs (Chihuahua, Doberman, German Shepherd, Rottweiler), nine-banded armadillos, otters, raccoons, snakes, squirrels |
| Water | Dolphins, eels, fish, jellyfish, sea turtles, sharks, whales |
| Birds | Ducks, eagles, cranes, pigeons, seagulls, spoonbills, storks, woodpeckers |
That is far short of 170, so the game has many more. Do not read this table as the full roster.
Why the animals matter to the setting
Michael Kane, Rockstar’s VP of dynamic art, said Florida “has a diverse animal ecosystem” the team wanted to include across Leonida’s biomes, per Dexerto’s report of the cover story (Dexerto). Reported The quote comes from the paywalled part, which we did not read. That fits the map’s mix of city, wetlands, coast and open water. For where those places are, see the GTA 6 map guide.
Legendary animals
Game Informer says certain animals fall into Rare, Discoverable and Legendary tiers and that players can track them. The harder ones are being kept secret. Reported Kotaku adds that Rockstar says the rarity system from Red Dead Redemption 2 returns (Kotaku). Reported Nobody has named a single Legendary animal. If you see one named online, it is a guess.
Pets, zoos and hunting
- Pets: The Extended Look shows Jason getting a prompt to pet, scold or study a dog, according to Gfinity (Gfinity). Rumor / unconfirmed Interacting is not owning. No source confirms adoptable pets.
- Zoo: Dexerto says players can study animals and visit a zoo, citing the Extended Look and other reports. Rumor / unconfirmed
- Hunting and fishing: Game Informer’s free pieces do not cover either. GTABase says both return from RDR2, but cites no Rockstar statement. Rumor / unconfirmed
GTA 6 weather and hurricanes
Game Informer’s weather exclusive says Leonida will include Florida’s “tropical storms and seasonal hurricanes.” Reported It does not say how often big storms occur, or whether they affect missions or the story. That is the biggest open question, and people claiming otherwise are guessing.
What the exclusive does describe:
- Local weather. You can stand in sunshine and see a storm pouring rain in the distance. Reported
- Lasting effects. Puddles and wet surfaces remain after rain, and rainbows can appear in the right light. Reported
- Dynamic clouds. The article quotes “dynamic cloudscapes that roll across Leonida.” Reported
Kotaku, summarizing the cover story, says Rockstar rebuilt the system to be “more localized and persistent.” It quotes Owen Shepard, Rockstar’s VP of art for lighting and rendering, on wind: “offshore breezes after sunset, convectional updrafts, and occlusion from buildings.” He adds that gusts will blow ripples over the water and bend swamp grass. Reported The full text sits behind the magazine’s paywall, so we did not read it.
How it compares to Red Dead Redemption 2
The counts look similar, but they are not measured the same way.
| GTA 6 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Species count | 170+ (Game Informer, from Rockstar) | About 200 animals, birds and fish (Rockstar, before release, as reported by Gamepressure) |
| Alternative count | None yet | 227 in Guinness World Records, which counts species, breeds and variants from a fan wiki (Guinness) |
| Rare and Legendary animals | Reported, none named | Guinness’s count includes “legendary varieties” |
So “GTA 6 has more animals than RDR2” is not supported. 170+ is lower than RDR2’s roughly 200, though the counting rules may differ. What Game Informer highlights as new for Rockstar is the invasive species.
What we do not know yet
- Whether you can own or keep any animal as a pet. Rumor / unconfirmed
- Whether hunting or fishing exists as a system. Rumor / unconfirmed
- How often hurricanes appear, and what they do to missions. Rumor / unconfirmed
- The exact breakdown of the 170 species. Rumor / unconfirmed
- Which animals are Legendary. Rumor / unconfirmed
We update this page when Rockstar publishes its own list or the cover story’s details are confirmed. For the bigger picture, see what we know and don’t know about GTA 6, and for sorting solid information from noise, what is real in the leaks. Footage that shows animals is collected in the trailers guide.
FAQ
How many animals are in GTA 6?
More than 170 species, according to a Game Informer exclusive from September 29, 2026 that shares details from Rockstar. Outlets also report over 60 bird types and 30+ land mammals, but those two figures come from a paywalled part of the story we could not read.
Are there monkeys in GTA 6?
Yes. Game Informer lists rhesus macaques among the invasive species, alongside green iguanas, cane toads and feral cats.
Does GTA 6 have hurricanes?
Yes. Game Informer reports that tropical storms and hurricanes are part of Leonida's weather. Rockstar has not said how often they happen or whether they change missions.
Is there hunting in GTA 6?
Not confirmed. Game Informer's free articles do not mention it. A fan site says hunting and fishing return from RDR2, but cites no Rockstar statement.
Can you have pets in GTA 6?
Not confirmed. The Extended Look shows a prompt to pet, scold or study a dog, but no source confirms you can own one.
Are there sharks in GTA 6?
Kotaku's report of the cover story names sharks and whales. Game Informer's free article says only that species cover land, air and sea.
Are there Legendary animals in GTA 6?
Game Informer says some animals are sorted into Rare, Discoverable and Legendary tiers that players can track. Rockstar has not said which animals those are.