Grand Theft Auto games have always been rather impressive displays of technology, on top of being pretty great games themselves. Grand Theft Auto 6 will no doubt be the same when it launches next Fall, and even if you cast your mind all the way back to the release of Grand Theft Auto 3 in 2001, you'll find small details that Rockstar added to really push the boundaries of the hardware and technology of the time.
Games need to wind down in scope, not blow up to such unbelievable levels as to turn singleplayer games into ever-expanding live-service worlds.
One of these small details in Grand Theft Auto 3 was the litter that was scattered across the streets in various locations. On its own, it's not that impressive, but what made GTA 3's litter special is that it would blow in the wind and shift around when cars drive by, which is a very pointless detail that is typical of the Rockstar-esque flexing we see even in its modern games. You'd think that the feature would have been used in future games, but the streets of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas are squeaky clean.
Turns out...