Well folks, after 10 years of waiting, Rockstar decided to grace us with an early release of the GTA 6 trailer. All I can say is, wow! Rockstar Games never ceases to amaze with the incredible amount of love and detail in its video games, and it’s everywhere here.
GTA 6 is the culmination of every game we’ve received from Rockstar over the last 10 years. From GTA IV’s gritty, realistic approach to storytelling, to GTA V’s vibrant city and seamless multi-character transitions. Lest I forget, the sheer scale and beauty of Red Dead Redemption 2. This game seems to have it all. Without much ado, let’s breakdown every second of that 1:31-long teaser trailer.
Characters
After a juicy leak from back in 2022, and an official trailer announcement on Friday, it has been confirmed that the story will centre around at least two playable characters. Players will take on the role of both Lucia and Jason in a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired adventure. We get a glimpse of Lucia adorned in prison clothes in the beginning of the trailer. We see her with a prison therapist. She asks simple question, “Lucia do you know why you’re here,” to which Lucia replies, “Bad luck I guess.” It is unclear whether Jason will break her out or she is released and returns to her life of crime.
Either way, it seems the game will once again be centred around heists, high-speed car chases with police, and a rags-to-riches story. This ones going to be a blast!
Location, location, location!
We will be returning to the fictionalized Miami, and Vice City looks better than ever. Except, like the game before it, the open world extends to the larger state of Florida. Meaning, everything is bigger, better, and way more beautiful. Based on the trailer alone we get a wide shot of Vice City, swampy bayous, dusty hick towns, and much, much, more. Simply magnificent!
More so, there’s a panning shot of the city that reveals luxury high risers, ground shots of downtrodden inner-city streets, and various scattered islands interconnected by long stretching highways. Chef’s kiss.
Flora and fauna
Everything made before GTA 6 seems to culminate here in one form or another in the trailer. Flora and fauna are almost certainly inspired by RDR 2. In the introduction, we get to see a first shot of the reimagined ‘Vice Beach.’ If you look closely, before the classic “Rockstar presents” camera pan out onto the city, you will notice plenty of marine wildlife amongst jet skis and yachts. Also, there are detailed birds flying across the foreground of the horizon, flying in formation. The whole world appears wonderfully populated.
Moving on, we get to see alligators, flamingos, pelicans, and other swamp critters. Each have their own highly detailed animations and biomes. Alligator’s will also make their way into the city to terrorize unsuspecting NPCs. Honestly, the amount of detail on the screen at the same time quite literally overwhelms the senses! I can’t fathom what sorcery Rockstar has managed to pull off under the hood.
NPCs
NPCs have received similar treatment. Character models are highly detailed, each with their own personalities and style. We also get to see Rockstar’s souped-up RAGE engine perform even more technical wizardry. NPCs seem to fill the screen at every moment, and more importantly, everything seems to be happening in real time.
Every frame is mind boggling to me. Clubs are filled with partygoers, beach-goers swim, jog, suntan, and react seamlessly to one another. Vehicles fill up the streets, and we get to see a cook-out inspired meetup with classic Miami ‘Donks,’ and dirt bikes zooming across the screen. There’s also “The Fast and the Furious” styled car meetups and illegal street races.
Florida Man lives!
We also get to see the more colourful aspect of Miami’s culture seeping through every frame of the trailer. It seems like social media will take centre stage in GTA 6’s storytelling.
We get to see Vice City’s inhabitants doing what they do best. This is depicted through both an Instagram-like social media platform, CCTV-inspired footage, plus the news. From an alligator poacher hard at work, to a yacht party in full swing, and even an altercation with some road rage footage to boot.
Oh, and there’s something called “Thrill Billy Mud Club,” which seems to be a spoof of a real-world reality TV show. Florida Man can also be seen everywhere, in every shape, and form, causing chaos around the city. They also seem to be inspired by their real-life counterparts, but we’ll let you be the judge of that.
Finally, onto some less promising news. Those who anticipated a 2024 release will be sadly disappointed. The trailer ends with the announcement that GTA 6 will arrive in 2025. I’m sorry folks, we will have to wait a whole year to play the most highly-anticipated title of all time. Here’s hoping we’ll get more trailers incoming soon!
