It’s finally here. After several years in development and being plagued by wave after wave of leaks and delays, Rockstar has officially presented our first look at the gameplay of Grand Theft Auto VI.
While the previous trailers revealed key info like the Vice City setting and the Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque protagonist duo of Lucia and Jason, those were high-production-value cinematics. It’s likely the half-hour supercut that premiered today is more representative of what we can expect from the game when it finally launches on November 19.
Watch: Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look gameplay trailerNo developer commentary, no publisher announcements. Just 26 minutes of gameplay stitched together, and plenty of details to pick apart over the next few weeks leading up to release day. For now, though, here are a couple of things that stood out to us.
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PHOTO BY Rockstar Games
The graphics are gorgeous—as expected of the powerhouse that is Rockstar. But more than that, it’s just how jam-packed the setting of Vice City looks and feels. Set dressing like clutter and props populate the open world more prominently now, and in tandem with the narrower, more realistic streets, it feels much more like a very lived-in city.
The same also applies to interiors, of which we see a few: the protagonists’ home, a run-down apartment building, and a busy nightclub. It’s clear Rockstar is taking what it’s learned from Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online and elevating it to the next level with the power afforded by modern gaming hardware.
2) Expect more life simulation elements.PHOTO BY Rockstar Games
Speaking of Rockstar carrying over elements of its previous titles into GTA 6, there’s a bit of Red Dead Redemption 2 peeking through with the very detailed contextual interactions scattered throughout the open world. It’s most evident in the downtime segments at the protagonists’ safehouses, where the player can watch TV and eat food in the kitchen.
The game also carries over other open-world activities from GTA 5 like working out and hanging out with NPCs. If anything, though, it feels a lot like recalling Grand Theft Auto San Andreas’ own life simulation system, where stats like hunger and physical fitness had to be managed.
3) Dirty deeds are a bit more involved now.PHOTO BY Rockstar Games
The more detailed interactivity extends to how the game handles crime. Take, for example, the game’s titular act of stealing vehicles: Breaking into vehicles isn’t as simple as pressing a button and having your character elbow the glass and unlock the door. Some parked cars now need equipment to break into, and we expect high-value exotics could take a much more involved process.
The wanted level also goes up to six stars again, just like the good ol’ days of the PS2 and PSP era. On top of that, it looks like cops now pay attention to details like your clothes, vehicle, and appearance (à la RDR2, again) when pursuing you.
4) Cars look more detailed than ever.PHOTO BY Rockstar Games
Now, we already knew that Rockstar was giving the vehicles of GTA 6 extra love from the preorder bonuses revealed a while back, but the trailer shows us even more of the wheels we’ll be encountering in Vice City. In general, cars feel a lot more grounded in reality and less like cartoonish parodies of real-life brands.
Special mention has to go to the police cars seen in a getaway sequence, featuring analogues to Ford F-150 and Dodge Charger pursuit vehicles. These car models are incredibly detailed and look great in action. Interestingly enough, shooting out their tires causes them to spin out in dramatic fashion, relative to previous GTA titles. We wonder: Are these scripted events, or just something we can expect to happen in the open world?
5) There’s a racetrack!PHOTO BY Rockstar Games
GTA Online put great emphasis on adding plenty of fast cars ranging from highly customizable tuners to ultra-expensive hypercars—there just wasn’t a proper place to race these vehicles seriously. It looks like GTA 6 is addressing this with a proper racing circuit, seen during a quick shot of an ongoing race with cars modded for track use. Peep the dedicated HUD for laps, position, and time, too.
Of course, circuit racing isn’t the only race format available. Later on in the trailer, we see a dirt racing event on bike, and even a proper street race starring a tricked-out, legally distinct Nissan Skyline GT-R. Honestly, the street racing gives off big Midnight Club vibes. Y’know, the racing game IP that Rockstar’s left dormant for almost two decades now?
6) The footage was captured on a PS5.PHOTO BY Rockstar Games
Technically not part of the trailer—this was just mentioned at the end of the video and in the description. Also in the description: “Grand Theft Auto VI plays best on PlayStation 5.” Probably just part of a partnership deal between Rockstar and Sony to highlight all these facts, but if they’re not fudging the performance with a beefed-up PS5 dev kit, then it’s a very impressive-looking game that just might push current-gen hardware to its limits.
Unfortunately, as is Rockstar tradition, PC gamers unwilling to shell out game console money will have to wait before dipping their toes into Vice City. Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release on November 19 on PS5 and XBox Series X/S. Let us know what you think of the gameplay in the comments.