Rockstar pulled the virtual trigger, finally giving us a glimpse of GTA VI.
GTA VI Trailer 1 has been in the wild for a couple of days now and it’s all the gaming world is talking about, such is the cultural significance of any new Rockstar release.
I’m sure you’ve already seen it, (if not, what desperately boring planet have you been living on??) but here it is in all its glory:
GTA VI Trailer 1 – setting the scene
It’s only 90 seconds of content, but there’s plenty to unpack here.
The game is set once again in Vice City, the virtual version of Miami from my own personal favourite GTA game of the same name.
This time we’re in the modern day rather than the 1980s. We do get an awesome 1980s song (Love Is A Long Road by Tom Petty) underscoring the trailer though.
It looks like there are two playable protagonists, a young couple taking on the city in search of fortune and glory, Bonnie & Clyde style.
We don’t learn much about the main characters. But the trailer does revel in lampooning modern culture (the cornerstone of any GTA game) in a fast-cut series of amusing TikToks – inspired by real videos – in the middle of the trailer. It sets the tone for what’s to come.
We also see glimpses of car chases, neighbourhood hangouts (with lots more blinged-out cars) and gangs on motorbikes.
Disappointingly, despite earlier reports of GTA VI coming in 2024, the game is currently set for a 2025 release. Bummer.
Graphics galore
As we’ve come to expect from any Rockstar release, the technical showcase from the studio’s latest version of RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine) is front and centre here and it doesn’t disappoint.
In Digital Foundry’s quick analysis of the trailer, they confidently assert we are seeing actual in-engine capture, not pre-rendered assets, given the presence of artefacts around fine details and other indicators. They calculate the game is rendering at around 1440p and is likely targeting 30fps.
Class-leading animation fluidity, ray-traced global illumination, ray-traced reflections and insanely good hair physics are all shown off here. The sheer density of crowds, car paint simulation and environmental detail have all got tongues wagging too.
Rockstar never fails to push the technical envelope with its games, and GTA VI looks to be no exception.
Unfortunately, as with previous titles, the game only has a release scheduled for current-gen consoles at this time. The PC port will come later. Major bummer.
What’s next?
Expect the buzz with trailer 1 to last some time, but let’s hope we get more extended previews of the game soon. 2025 suddenly seems a long way away when the internet is collectively this hyped for a game.
We’ve waited 10 long years Rockstar, give us some more GTA goodness to keep us going through 2024!
