GTA VI official artwork (Source: Rockstar Games)

Warta Kema – On Thursday, (05/12/23), Rockstar Games released the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI) on YouTube. The video received millions of views, likes, comments, and is generally well-liked by gamers around the world. After years of waiting for another installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

The trailer shows off way more advanced graphics and gameplay than the previous installment, GTA V. Two prominent and most talked-about aspects of the trailer are the water physics and lightning that fans consider to be very realistic. Fans pointed out that, on the gameplay side, new features such as in-game social media that the players could actively interact in will most likely become available and so will many new activities.

According to the trailer, GTA VI will have the backdrop of Vice City, the in-universe version of the city of Miami. The city was first introduced in GTA: Vice City, released back in 2002 to wide acclaim. That game, however, only features two small island strips that encompass the whole city. Meanwhile, GTA VI  covers the whole state of Leonida, which is their version of Florida. With it covering a whole state, the map is said to be the biggest in Rockstar’s whole catalogue.

The first trailer sets the tone of the game which, in true GTA fashion, is dominated by over-the-top action and absurdity meant to satirize contemporary American society. With this game taking place in what is supposed to be Florida, a state infamous for its citizens’ wacky antics that has since become a huge meme, Rockstar had a near-infinite number of things to satirize and poke fun at. There are montages of parties and nightlife filled with hedonistic acts, people doing dangerous stunts for clout, and wildlife invading human space.

In the middle of all the chaos is a couple who are set to be the two main protagonists. According to Rockstar’s official website, they are named Jason and Lucia, a pair of down-on-their-luck lovers who set their sights to the top. With both of them likely to be playable, it is expected that the character switching mechanic from V will make a comeback. A much welcome return of a beloved feature.

With the two main protagonists being partners, GTA VI offers a fresh take on a Bonnie and Clyde-type narrative in a video game. A niche that, for the last ten years, has only been filled with the likes of It Takes Two and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. This dynamic will surely introduce a level of emotional depth yet to be seen in any AAA games.

The first trailer ended with a message that GTA VI will be released around 2025. This statement was later confirmed by Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take Two Interactive, that gave a much clearer release schedule which is late 2025. However, for a full year of 2024, there were no new updates from the developers. . Because of this , the fans were preparing for the worst. Delays are not something unfamiliar to Rockstar’s fans, as the last four major game releases (GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption, GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2) were all delayed. Sure enough, the fans were proven right.

On the 2nd of May, 2025, Rockstar Games announced on their Twitter account that Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026. Many fans were understandably upset at the decision as they have to wait another full year until they can get their hands on the game. Some, however, believed that an extended wait is just what the game needed for its final product to be as polished as possible.

Fans’ disappointment was quickly reversed as four days after the announcement, Rockstar published the second trailer for the game on their YouTube channel. This trailer offered an in-depth preview of its mechanics as it features more of what seems to be the actual gameplay rather than the cinematic shots we got in the first one. This was further corroborated by its description, which said that the entire trailer was captured in-game from a PS5, combining both gameplay and cutscenes.

The trailer also went further in building up Jason and Lucia’s character while also introducing some side characters that will, no doubt, contribute heavily to the duo’s adventure. Amongst them were Brian Heder, an aging smuggler who is way past his prime; Cal Hampton, Jason’s friend who seems to frequent conspiracy theories rabbit hole, a staple character in the GTA series; and Raul Bautista, a seasoned bank robber who always searches for a big reward no matter how high the stakes get, a character who harkens back to one of GTA V’s main protagonist, Michael De Santa.

Alongside new characters, Rockstar also unveiled six new locations. The aforementioned Vice City took center stage as the main backdrop, just like how Los Santos was to V and Liberty City to IV. Complimenting VC are brand new places consisting of Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, and Mount Kalaga. All six locations contribute to the massive state of Leonida.

Rumours and theories regarding the map keep popping up each day. Some theorized that Florida’s neighboring state, Georgia, would be featured in the game as the state of Gloriana. Others thought that locations from previous installments, such as the state of San Andreas and/or Liberty, would make a comeback. Some even theorized that, since development took so long, the map would feature the whole continental United States fictionalized to fit the GTA aesthetics. What is confirmed is that this map will be the biggest one in Rockstar’s whole catalogue, even surpassing the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2.

GTA VI’s lengthy development was mostly caused by the tremendous success of GTA Online. It is so successful, in fact, that Rockstar decided to scrap any planned DLC for GTA V so that they could incorporate it in Online. GTA Online was and still is a huge moneymaker for Rockstar, which churns out massive updates every so often so that players can spend more on microtransactions.

Fans pointed out that Rockstar was one of the busiest video game publishers in the world, producing quality media every year to wide acclaim. This routine stopped after the release of GTA Online due to the aforementioned success in microtransactions. The only game that has since come out between the release of V to today is Red Dead Redemption 2. Although it became another colossal hit for Rockstar, both critically and financially, RDR2 didn’t quite satisfy fans who long for a seventeenth GTA title.

Through thick and thin, fans await for GTA VI. Their patience is rewarded with the release of the two trailers and the many leaks throughout the years. During the time this article is written, there are around 350 days left until the game is finally released to console. Until then, fans will just have to wait again.

Reporter: Maheswara Adla Wibowo

Editor: Andrea Hillary Gusandi, Syafina Ristia Putri