GTA VI trailer analysis: the 43 biggest revelations about Rockstar’s blockbuster

Domagoj Belancic

7.5.2025

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Hooray, the second Grand Theft Auto VI trailer is here! Read on to find out all the important details, theories and speculations about the footage shown.

GTA 6 is still a while away. Rockstar’s gangster epic won’t be released until next year. To shorten our waiting time, the developer is finally giving us a new trailer after a long period of silence.

I dived into the video footage and analysed every second of it in detail. I also combed through the extra information from Rockstar’s official website for exciting tidbits. Here’s my analysis.

All confirmed regions

The trailer reveals various areas across the fictional state of Leonida (based on Florida), the GTA 6 setting. In addition, Rockstar announced details on its official website about other regions that weren’t shown in the trailer. The game world looks absolutely HUGE.

Location 1: Vice City

The Miami-inspired Vice City makes up a large part of the map. Rockstar describes the metropolis as follows:

The glamour, hustle, and greed of America captured in a single city. Each neighborhood has something to offer, from the pastel art deco hotels and bright white sands of Ocean Beach, to the bustling panaderías of Little Cuba and the bootleg brands of the Tisha-Wocka flea market, out to the VC Port, the cruise ship capital of the world.

Location 2: Leonida Keys

The Florida Keys, a chain of over 200 islands in the south of Florida, are also represented in the game. Rockstar describes the region as the «most beautiful and dangerous waters in all of America» – which you can apparently also dive into (yay!).

Location 3: Grassrivers

Alligators, hillbillies, robbers and «weirder discoveries» lurk in the swamp area of GTA 6. I wonder what that means?

Location 4: Port Gellhorn

The run-down part of the map. Closed attractions, cheap motels and drugs distinguish this region.

Location 5: Ambrosia

An area in the heart of Leonida dominated by «old-school values» and a brutal biker gang.

Location 6: Mount Kalaga National Park

You can hunt, fish and hike across Leonida’s northern border. Or explore the natural beauty with dirt bikes and canoes. Rockstar also keeps us guessing: «hillbilly mystics and paranoid radicals live far from the prying eyes of the government».

All confirmed characters

Rockstar introduced many new characters in this trailer. On the official website, we can also find more intriguing details about these ne’er-do-wells.

Jason Duval

Jason is one of two playable characters. He grew up among «grifters and crooks» and works for various drug pushers in Leonida. Lucia is his one true love – and perhaps his downfall. In the trailer, he picks her up from prison, only to get up to no good with her again right after. Oh, Jason.

Lucia Caminos

Lucia is the second playable character. Her father taught her how to fight – unsurprisingly, she also ended up in prison for getting into scraps. Lucia really wants to lead a quiet life, but is willing to take lives and commit crimes to get there. Oh, Lucia.

Cal Hampton

Jason’s friend who accompanies him on his criminal path. He’s a paranoid conspiracy theorist who loves to drink. A lot.

Boobie Ike

An underworld legend of Vice City, he owns real estate, a strip club and a recording studio. Looks like this gangster-in-chief will be one of Jason and Lucia’s bosses.

Dre’Quan Priest

A musician and label boss who lets his artists perform in Boobie’s strip club.

Real Dimez

A rap duo signed to Dre’Quan, they’re one-hit wonders looking for a second success. Just in case, they mingle in the drug business on the side.

Raul Bautista

An experienced bank robber who always takes every risk during jobs. I hope Raul will supply Jason and Lucia with lots of spectacular heists à la GTA V.

Brian Heder

An old drug pusher who lets Jason live with him rent-free – as long as he helps him push his stuff. Probably one of the first bosses in the story.

Other characters

In addition to the characters whose names we know, the trailer also shows other interesting individuals who could play a major role in the game.

The cop

«Us cops, we gotta protect each other,» says a policeman to another cop who appears to be undercover – as a janitor or exterminator, probably. In many GTA games, corrupt cops are the big baddies – it’s quite possible that this as yet unnamed policeman will also be one of these villains.

Phil Cassidy

Remember gun dealer Phil Cassidy from GTA III and GTA: Vice City (Stories)? No? Perhaps these snippets will refresh your memory:

Looks like the oddball will be making his big comeback in GTA VI. A TV commercial shows a character who looks and behaves very much like the original. Only, this Phil still seems to have both arms. The original lost his right arm in an explosion during the events of Vice City.

Captured on PS5

The trailer credits state that the footage shown was recorded on a PS5. This reinforces rumours that Sony snapped up the marketing rights for the title. I’m also impressed that this isn’t footage from the PS5 Pro. How well and smoothly will the game run on the significantly stronger hardware?

No PC, no Switch 2

The credits also confirm that Rockstar hasn’t deviated from its staggered release strategy. GTA 6 will be released on 26 May 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. PC players will probably have to wait a few more years. You can read why in this article:

Nintendo fans are also left empty-handed. The Switch 2 has now been officially unveiled – but you won’t find a logo for the handheld hybrid console in the credits. Still, seeing as GTA 6 also has to run on the meagre hardware of the Xbox Series S, Nintendo fans haven’t yet completely given up hope of a port.

PlayStation product placement?

Rockstar and Sony’s close relationship can also be seen in the not-so-subtle PlayStation references in the trailer. In several shots, a PS5-like console and two controllers reminiscent of Sony’s Dualsense can be seen. How cool would it be if I could play an old GTA in-game on the PS5? Can’t a guy dream?

Watching TV is back?

Since GTA IV, you’ve been able to sit on the sofa in your virtual flat and watch TV. I loved these moments, and was always surprised at how much material Rockstar Games packed into the cutscenes. The short clip in Jason and Lucia’s apartment seems to confirm that this will be possible again in the latest instalment.

Base building?

Jason and Lucia’s flat changes over the course of the trailers. In the first shot, their home still appears largely under construction:

Our second visit to the flat reveals more furniture and decorative objects – including a terrarium with a snake. It’s quite possible you’ll be able to expand and decorate your base over the course of the campaign, perhaps even keep pets.

Music selection

GTA games are known for their outstanding soundtracks. The retro music choices in the new trailer are also impressive, whetting our appetites for more. You can hear the following songs in the video (in chronological order):

Child Support by Zenglen:

Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung:

Talkin’ to Myself Again by Tammy Wynette:

Hot Together by the Pointer Sisters:

Hurricanes?

Florida is known for its storms and hurricanes. Will there also be severe storms in Leonida? In a scene at the Rusty Anchor bar, there’s at least one reference to a Hurricane Roxy.

All aircraft and vehicles

In the trailer and on the official website, you can see many different vehicles ready to command in GTA VI.

Cars

From stylish retro cars and police cruisers to junk wagons and trucks, GTA VI will feature a large selection of traditional four-wheeled vehicles.

Motorcycles

The biker gangs in Leonida seem to have a large armada of badass choppers. There should also be a selection of manoeuvrable dirt bikes for the muddy areas around Vice City.

More vehicles on two wheels

The less mobile residents of Vice City also like to get around on electric scooters. Bicycles are also an option.

Motorised boats

The best way to explore the waters of Leonidas is by boat or jet ski. I’m already looking forward to stealing a luxury yacht, speeding away at full throttle and watching the baffled passengers fly off the ship at speed.

Non-motorised boats

You can relax in the national parks and explore the wilderness on kayaks too. Neat!

Aeroplanes

Of course, you can also make Vice City’s airspace unsafe – either with helicopters or aeroplanes.

Passenger planes and cargo aircraft?

The trailer shows a conspicuous number of passenger planes constantly flying back and forth over Vice City.

One short clip shows Lucia fighting on a large cargo plane (?) flying above the clouds. Whether this excerpt is part of a scripted mission or whether you can capture these large aircraft yourself isn’t known.

Multiple airports?

The references to several airports on the map also indicate that aeroplanes could play a larger role. A VCI Airport sign can be seen on the highway – probably the city’s main airport. Lucia also wears a shirt with Gellhhorn International on it. A second airport in the run-down drug area of the map? Probably a hub for the local illicit trade.

Public transport

Not in the mood to drive or fly yourself? The trailer also features public transportation – specifically buses and trains.

Cats

In the two trailers released, we’ve seen a lot of different wild animals. Now we know there’ll also be cats in GTA VI. In this scene, a ball of fur is cleaning itself atop an ATM.

Heists?

One of the story highlights in the GTA V campaign were the sensationally staged heists. In these missions, you had to rob banks and other institutions and get away with the loot. The trailer reveals some scenes that give us hope that heists will return in GTA VI.

Community service

In the trailer, we see Lucia doing community service. Wearing an orange signal vest, she collects garbage from the roadside. She arrives home to Jason later in the trailer wearing the same outfit. Is this a story section, or are our characters being punished with work after unsuccessful criminal outings?

Ankle monitor

Lucia wears an ankle monitor after her time in prison. In real life, these GPS-enabled devices prevent ex-cons from moving around freely. Will this have an impact on gameplay? It’s quite possible that Lucia will only be able to explore new areas of the virtual state bit by bit.

Clubs

Lucia and Jason get down and boogie in the trailer. I think back to the dance mini-games from The Ballad of Gay Tony and hope they return in GTA VI.

Pindayho Cerveza

Speaking of dancing and nightclubs: as is typical for GTA, the trailer again features a whole host of different alcoholic beverages. Returning from older games are the American Patriot Beer, the Chinese Logger Beer, the German Pisswasser, the Spanish Lavazas Beer and the Italian Stronzo (ahole, idiot). A new addition is the Mexican (?) Pindayho Cerveza – a satire on the real-life Corona and Negra Modelo beers with a reference to the Spanish curse word pendejo (ahole).

Tattoos?

Main character Jason has several tattoos on his toned, perfect body. It can be assumed that you’ll also be able to customise your character with body art in the new GTA.

Muscle mass

Speaking of a toned and perfect body, the trailer sees Jason lifting weights. To me, he looks significantly more muscular than in the first trailer. Does this herald a return of the legendary fitness system from San Andreas? I’d love to wreak havoc with an obese and out of shape Jason.

Impressive hair and jiggle physics

Rockstar Games places great emphasis on a realistic physics system – it seems to have been further developed compared to trailer 1. This can be seen above all in the hair of female lead Lucia. Her ponytail swings back and forth realistically or blows wildly in the wind. The jiggle physics of body parts are also impressive. Big bellies, buttocks and breasts react to a character’s movements, making them look like a real human being with fat and muscles rather than a stiff doll. Now that’s impressive.

Fighting styles

Lucia seems to be a real fighter, handing out knuckle sandwiches like a world champion. In one clip, you can see how the gangster girl trains. Will there perhaps be gyms again where you can learn different fighting styles, like back in San Andreas? Would be cool, because let’s be honest: the melee combat in GTA was always so meh and could do with an upgrade.

Heavy artillery

Not in the mood for fisticuffs? Numerous weapons can also be seen in the trailer. For the first time, we get confirmation that there’ll also be very heavy artillery. In one chase, Lucia uses a grenade launcher (?) and blows up her pursuers.

Notice anything else exciting in the material shown?

We talked more about this topic in the newest episode of our German-language Tech-telmechtel (A Tech Affair) podcast.

Domagoj Belancic

Senior Editor

Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.ch

My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.

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