5 Biggest Reveals From the GTA 6 Trailer

By Kate Irwin

After years of leaks and crypto rumors, the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 has finally dropped. The trailer was initially planned for a release Tuesday morning, but more leaks on Monday afternoon inspired the studio at Rockstar Games to release the trailer late Monday night.

Despite being only a brisk one and a half minutes in length, the GTA 6 trailer has already confirmed earlier speculation and leaks surrounding the game’s location and main characters.

Here are the biggest reveals from the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer.

GTA 6 is set in Vice City

Last year, leaks from a teenage hacker who infiltrated Rockstar Games’ internal systems and shared over 90 different pieces of in-development game media suggested that Grand Theft Auto VI would be set in Vice City, the franchise’s fictional version of Miami, Florida. “Leonida” is GTA’s version of Florida—the trailer plays on the “Florida man” meme with a “Leonida man.”

Now, based on the official trailer, those leaks have held true. The opening sequence shows turquoise waters with deep sandy beaches, alligators, and a cityscape that closely resembles Miami and its South Beach. On a freeway, there’s also a VCI Airport sign, which stands for Vice City International Airport. And, of course, there’s a giant “VICE” sign and mentions of “VC” throughout. 

This will also be the first time we’ve seen Vice City in the present day, as the 2002 game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and 2006 spinoff Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories are both set in 1986.

GTA 6 has a female lead named Lucia

The first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer begins with its protagonist, Lucia, in prison. A prison administrator asks Lucia why she’s incarcerated, and Lucia responds: “Bad luck, I guess.”

After flashing through some vignettes of some of Vice City’s rough and rich members, Lucia and a man are in a car. The trailer flashes to Lucia and her unnamed male partner in crime wearing bandanas to cover the lower half of their faces as they walk through a convenience store. It looks like the two are in some kind of romantic relationship, as there’s also a quick shot of Lucia above him on what appears to be a motel bed while her partner, shirtless, agrees to “trust” her. The trailer ends with Lucia and her partner walking into another store with their handguns drawn.

Given that Lucia is the only character named in the trailer and she’s followed throughout, it’s safe to assume that Lucia and her partner will be the main characters in GTA 6—another tidbit which was also revealed by earlier GTA 6 leaks.

It will release in 2025 on consoles

The first GTA 6 trailer confirmed the game’s release year, and an exact date has not yet been revealed. GTA 6 will be released in 2025, which falls within the range some have predicted based on comments from Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick. Back in August, Zelnick told CNBC that the studio expects “record levels of operating performance” in its 2025 fiscal year, which is between April 2024 and March 2025. 

A shot from the GTA 6 trailer. Image: Rockstar Games.

Grand Theft Auto VI will be released for PCs and the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S consoles at launch, per a Monday announcement.

Social media will play a big role

In the GTA 6 trailer, there are numerous shots that look like they’ve been posted on fictional social media accounts—suggesting that social media may play a big role in GTA 6. 

The trailer shows an account called “DadBodSquad” dancing with women on a boat, an “Official Poach” account with a video of a man dragging an alligator out of a pool, footage from an account called “have.a.vice.day,” “PlanetLeonidaMan,” “GeneralCustardCannon,” “YoMammazJammer,” and what appears to be multiple TikTok or Instagram-inspired livestreams from multiple different accounts.

There will be clubs

The trailer offers quick clips of the Thrillbilly Mud Club and the High Rollerz, suggesting that these two groups may be some of the communities on offer in GTA 6. There’s also a reference to someone named Rudi who has passed away, suggesting someone named “Rudi,” or at least their legacy, could play an important role in the game’s lore.

Edited by Andrew Hayward

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