After years of waiting, Rockstar has finally given us our first slice of Grand Theft Auto 6. Here is what I spotted.
After years of waiting, Rockstar has finally given us our first slice of GTA 6. In the new trailer, we are introduced to the game’s protagonists, Lucia and Jason, and the crime-riddled world that they live in. This is Vice City, GTA’s take on Miami, Florida.
I am now going to break down the trailer, listing all the little things I noticed. While the whole thing’s only 91 seconds in length (which is admittedly more than we got for GTA5), the studio has managed to pack a lot in. The trailer gives us a real sense of what we can expect on the game’s eventual release, which is currently slated for 2025 across PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.
Before we dive on in, here is the first trailer for GTA 6 in all its glory once more.
The first shot we see is a rather splendid view, with pink dappled skies and lush palm trees all setting the scene. There is no doubt here: we are in Florida. Or the State of Leonida as it is known in GTA 6.
I had a quick google, and according to GTA Wiki, it is named after Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León, who led the first European expedition to the Florida peninsula. León landed here on Easter Sunday, the Spanish Pascua de Flores. This translates to “Feast of Flowers” for which the real state is named.
In the background of this scene, we get our first glimpse of Vice City’s skyline, and while it is in the distance, it already shows that this city is going to be bigger and denser than GTA5’s Los Santos. This is perhaps unexpected, as LA (which Los Santos is based on) is much bigger than Miami is in real life.
We also get a look at the city prison, distinguishable by its watch towers and fenced perimeter. Again this looks to be a fair size.
Of course, this is a GTA game, so we must pay some attention to the vehicles driving through this scene. If you look towards the bridge in the foreground, you will notice that a boat is being towed by a pickup truck. This reminded me of GTA 5’s ‘Father/Son’ mission. There is also, unless my eyes deceive me, a Gauntlet Hellfire driving along. This muscle car features in GTA Online.
The next scene takes place inside the prison. We get our first look at Lucia, one of GTA 6’s two protagonists. She is talking to a prison warden or councillor of some description called Stephanie (you can see her nameplate on the front of her desk). She comments it was “bad luck” that got her here.
There isn’t too much to take from these scenes visually, other than there is no doubt that this game is shaping up to be graphically very impressive. The way the light shines through the window, as characters beyond the pane are distorted by the dimpled effects of the glass. Shadows fall across Lucia’s body. The character models themselves are top notch, and an obvious step up from GTA 5, as you would expect. They feel real, and expressive. There is emotion behind those eyes.
It is worth mentioning that both Lucia and Stephanie have family photos. Lucia has a single picture by, presumably, her bed. Stephanie meanwhile has personal effects festooning her office. The objects around her desk and office space add a humanity to Stephanie’s character, even if we only see her in this one scene. We already know that she has a life outside of her job at the prison thanks to this environmental storytelling.
I do wonder if we’ll have some kind of prison break style prologue after these scenes. It doesn’t sound like Lucia is on the cusp of being let out from what Stephanie is saying. Unless, Rockstar are throwing in a red herring, and that is actually the end of the game, and her crimes throughout GTA 6 are what get Lucia thrown in the clinker… hmm? Were the people in her bedside photo those who helped her on her in-game crime sprees. Who can say? Not me, for now, but give it time.
I love this next scene. We pan over the beach front and look towards the city.
