The delay of Grand Theft Auto VI into next year is a big deal. The game is the follow-up to arguably the biggest entertainment release of all time, one that originally debuted well over a decade ago. Even if GTAV is still going strong, now spanning multiple console generations and with a surprisingly enduring online component, the hype for its sequel has been steadily building since 2013. Adding to the sheer amount of time is the mystery — we still know very little about what GTAVI actually is. So it’s a good time to revisit what we do know; namely, the single trailer released in 2023.
Our first glimpse of the game runs almost entirely on vibes. Instead of gameplay or story, it covers a feeling, which is to say the feeling of Florida. GTAVI takes place in Leonida, Rockstar’s take on the Sunshine State, and the trailer is filled with those purple-pink skies, airboats plowing through the everglades, late-night streets races, a whole lot of pool parties, and of course alligators getting into mischief. Much of it is captured on a TikTok-like social network. There’s a slight introduction to the Bonnie and Clyde–style lead characters, including a woman named Lucia and her unnamed counterpart, but it’s not really clear what they’re up to (aside from the obvious crime).
And that’s it really. Even the official press release didn’t detail much more, saying simply that the game “heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.” Anything else we know about the game (which isn’t much) comes from a massive leak back in 2022.
Even still, the trailer does a remarkable job of setting up what players are actually in for. Because really, GTA is a vibe. The series has never had the best action or driving or shooting. Instead, what has turned into a behemoth following GTAIII is the huge, expansive worlds it lets players explore. Even as open world games from other developers have continued to impress — whether it’s Assassin’s Creed in Japan or Nintendo expanding Hyrule — there’s still nothing quite like Rockstar’s realistic rendition of Americana. And the initial GTAVI trailer promises just that, only bigger, and with an absurd Florida twist.
Rockstar is one of the few developers that can not only make a game of this scale, but also afford to take its time like this. GTAV is a cash cow, and in between the studio has also filled that time up with a new Red Dead Redemption. When announcing today’s delay, Rockstar explained that “the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.” The hype for GTAVI has hit such a degree that it has to be right at launch — and when we’ve already waited 12 years, what’s one more?
