Days after announcing that Grand Theft Auto VI has been delayed to 2026, Rockstar Games has released a lengthy new trailer for the game and it’s simply jaw-dropping.
The immediate takeaway from the new trailer is that Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be a showpiece when it comes out next year. When we got our first glimpse at the game in 2023, I thought the visuals were excellent, but figured the trailer largely consisted of the kind of in-engine footage that looks significantly better than proper gameplay. But between the skin, lighting, animations, reflections, and textures, everything about this trailer proved me wrong.
This trailer did more than just show off stellar visuals. Where the first trailer served to establish dual-protagonists Jason and Lucia, as well as a modernized take on Vice City, this new trailer gave us a better idea what we can expect from the story and introduced several of the supporting characters that Jason and Lucia will be interacting with. There’s the club owner/record label owner Boobie Ike, solo artist Dre’Quan Priest, the female rap duo Real Dimez, and Jason’s friend Cal Hampton to name a few.
The story and characters are some of the elements that I’m most excited about and Rockstar released plenty of supplemental information about them on the game’s website today too. Up until now, it’s been implied that Rockstar would primarily be telling a story that’s reminiscent of Bonnie and Clyde, and the updated plot description adds more fuel to that fire.
“Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.”
Rockstar also confirmed the six regions that will make up the state of Leonida: Vice City, Leonida Keys, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, Grassrivers, and Mount Kalaga.
Today’s newest look at Grand Theft Auto VI wasn’t a gameplay showcase, but I’m fine with that. I enjoy the gameplay that series offers and am excited to see how Rockstar continues to innovate and evolve the series, but what I love the most from GTA is the story and the world. I love the characters that we interact with and I adore getting lost and immersed in the worlds that Rockstar creates. The team is best-in-class when it comes to creating open worlds that feel believable and lived-in, and this trailer gave me even more confidence that this will be yet another feather in the team’s cap.
It might be some time before we get a proper gameplay reveal for GTA VI, but I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait. Until then, I’ll be rewatching this trailer a bunch to soak up the vibes and see what other details I can discover hidden away in here.
TheComfySpot 