GTA 6 trailer breakdown - 12 things you might have missed
The first GTA 6 trailer has arrived with even more drama than anticipated. After a leaked version of the long-awaited trailer unfortunately leaked onto the internet, Rockstar made the official 91-second segment live around 15 hours earlier than planned. All of which means you might have missed a thing or two.
We've watched and re-watched our first proper glimpse of modern day Vice City dozens of times already, and have pulled out the bits we think are important - either because they may point towards the game's narrative beats or on the ground mechanics, or simply because they're cool. In this Miami-aping cityscape, there's plenty of the latter to go around, so read on for 12 things you may have missed from the GTA 6 trailer premiere.
1. Our hero is called Lucia but the male character remains unnamed
There are two main characters this time with the female protagonist Lucia taking center stage with a named introduction right up front in the trailer. She also seems to have a criminal past already, being introduced in a prison inmate uniform. The male character isn't named yet but was called Jason in previous leaks. It seems all but confirmed they're a couple thanks to a shot of Lucia atop a shirtless 'Jason' while a voiceover claims 'the only way we're getting through this is sticking together", after which both characters say "trust".
2. Vice City is just one part of a larger GTA 6 map
There's a range of confirmed location names appearing via road signs, news bulletins, and more in this 90-second trailer. Spotty details from previous leaks presented Leonida as a potential name for the state GTA 6 is set in, with a range of confirmations appearing in the trailer from news reports about a 'Leonida man' aping the 'Florida Man' meme, and a social post mentioning that 'only in Leonida is a crotch Grab an apology for bad driving'. Some road signs also highlight Kelly County, Catalan Boulevard, the VCI airport, Vice Beaches, Port VC/Keys and what look like city districts by the name of Stockyard and Downtown. While the map looks to be vastly expanded over the original Vice City location there a couple of shots seem to show clearly updated takes on the previous 2002 visit to Vice City with what looks like Starfish Island and the original Ocean Beach area.
3. Wow that's a lot of different vehicles
We always knew that anything Rockstar makes would have a vast range of vehicles to inevitably steal and joyride in, but even in this 90-second trailer there's a tonne to spot. So let's take a breath and here's the list of every vehicle we've spotted so far: jumbo jets, speed boats, trucks, cars that can tow boats, yachts, jet skis, quad bikes, biplanes, helicopters, hover boats, amphibious helicopters, cargo ships, motorbikes, cruise ships, seaplanes, monster trucks, and a whole host of sports cars, pick-up trucks, minivans, vans, and other more traditional cars.
4. There's going to be a load of stuff to do in Vice City and further afield
If Vice City and the surrounding area is going to be anything like GTA 5 (and of course it is), you're going to need some other hobbies aside from being a criminal. Thankfully, there are loads to spot in this first GTA 6 trailer alone. Aside from grabbing any of the vehicles we've mentioned above (and we can't wait to have a go on a hover boat while avoiding the crocs), it looks like there will be car meet-ups, opportunities to head to a strip club, go to clubs with a resident DJ, host pool parties, go to drag meets or join the Thrillbilly Mud Club (which just looks like drinking beers and getting very dirty). Obviously, these are just featured in the trailer, so it's not clear whether they'll all be activities we'll be able to participate in just yet.
5. Is base jumping coming back?
What is interesting though is right in the opening shots, there's a huge radio tower / antenna in the background amid the sunset haze. That looks alarmingly like a good opportunity to bring back base jumping, which obviously was a huge pastime in GTA 5 and was first introduced in the GTA 4 DLC - The Ballad of Gay Tony. This is just speculation on our part, but it definitely begs the question.
6. There's a ton of wildlife here - from dogs to alligators
If GTA 6 is bringing all of Florida to life then there's a chance we could be getting Red Dead Redemption 2 levels of wildlife. Dogs are confirmed thanks to a tiny chihuahua running along the beach while flamingos, alligators, dolphins, and sharks all make an appearance. If the Florida everglades appear as well - which is heavily implied by the airboat scattering flamingos as it tears past - then that's a massive area full of different habitats. Everything from panthers to bears, deer, turtles, manatees and more live there in real life, meaning GTA 6 could have a hugely varied animal population.
7. Social Media is going to play a big part in the game
Given the time between the last game and now, technology was always likely to play a larger, more significant part in GTA 6, and its first trailer certainly seems to confirm this. GTA 5, of course, launched in 2013 and while its Facebook and Twitter rip-offs – Lifeinvader and Bleeter respectively – spoke to that specific era, it seems like GTA 6 has a TikTok-esque video-sharing platform, which is referenced throughout the trailer. From revelers partying on a speeding yacht, to an engineer fishing a live gator from a swimming pool, and an excitable woman twerking on top of a moving car (complete with emojis and a celebratory #have.a.vice.day), viral videos play a key role in the trailer – with NPCs seemingly reacting to being filmed. How freely we'll be able to film things minute-to-minute on the streets of Vice (and beyond) remains to be seen, but this is very clearly Vice City in the here and now.
8. Is there a first-person mode?
A brief clip of some body cam footage looks a lot like a first-person mode, but it's not clear if it's just a news clip or a playable section. It shows the police raiding a house which seems unlikely to be either of the main characters, unless there's a big twist in their backstory. Body cam footage does also inherently look like a first-person angle which just confuses the shot even more. GTA 5 did add a first-person mode in 2014 so who knows, this could be teasing the option maybe?
9. Who is Rudi?
Although only one GTA 6 character is actually named in this first trailer, there's an interesting appearance in one of the social clips of a chap hanging out the open drivers' side door of a pickup, shirtless but wearing jeans, bandana, and shades, with the caption "RIP Rudi - C U in heaven, cuz." Who is Rudi? Is he just some guy that took trying to go viral too far? Or is he someone you may meet in your travels around Vice City?
10. Are Karens getting some of the spotlight?
If GTA 6 is going to be a commentary on modern culture - as is expected from Rockstar - we couldn't get through our next romp in Vice City without an appearance from the social media / real-life archetype that is the Karen. In a social media clip within the GTA 6 trailer, there's an older woman in a fetching floral nightgown, slippers, and grandma specs brandishing not one, but two hammers. She calls out "Well look who's back?", while the social caption reads "Neighborhood watch don't play around in Hamlet". None of us want a weaponized Karen, but we think GTA 6 is totally going there.
11. Looks like we've got three factions or gangs confirmed already
It looks like we've got a glimpse at at least three clear factions, with the Thrillbilly Mud club and High Rollerz Lifestyle named outright. The former appears to be a dirt truck mud racing group, while the latter is a street racing group with high end performance cars. There's also what looks like a gang of cycles and ATV riders racing down a road in a pack, and a news bulletin mentioning a dirt bike gang "terrorizing dirt city".
12. Is the purple-haired, tattoo-face man a nod to GTA 6 Online?
This is perhaps more of a stretch, but one thing that's come to define GTA Online (and indeed most online multiplayer games) is players customizing their avatars with outlandish cosmetics, hairstyles, outfits and various other aesthetic tweaks to suit their mood and/or personality. At just over the minute mark in the GTA 6 trailer, we see a prison inmate on the news with purple hair and face and body tattoos which could be a nod to whatever shape GTA 6 Online takes – doubly so because players kick off GTA Online portfolios in the game's current state by posing for mugshots before selecting their avatar's appearance and get-up.
