The delay of Grand Theft Auto VI into subsequent 12 months is an enormous deal. The sport is the follow-up to arguably the largest leisure launch of all time, one which initially debuted nicely over a decade in the past. Even when GTAV continues to be going robust, now spanning a number of console generations and with a surprisingly enduring on-line element, the hype for its sequel has been steadily constructing since 2013. Including to the sheer period of time is the thriller — we nonetheless know little or no about what GTAVI really is. So it’s a great time to revisit what we do know; particularly, the only trailer launched in 2023.
Our first glimpse of the sport runs nearly fully on vibes. As an alternative of gameplay or story, it covers a sense, which is to say the sensation of Florida. GTAVI takes place in Leonida, Rockstar’s tackle the Sunshine State, and the trailer is full of these purple-pink skies, airboats plowing by way of the everglades, late-night streets races, an entire lot of pool events, and naturally alligators stepping into mischief. A lot of it’s captured on a TikTok-like social community. There’s a slight introduction to the Bonnie and Clyde–fashion lead characters, together with a girl named Lucia and her unnamed counterpart, nevertheless it’s probably not clear what they’re as much as (except for the plain crime).
And that’s it actually. Even the official press launch didn’t element far more, saying merely that the sport “heads to the state of Leonida, house to the neon-soaked streets of Vice Metropolis and past within the greatest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto sequence but.” The rest we all know in regards to the sport (which isn’t a lot) comes from an enormous leak again in 2022.
Even nonetheless, the trailer does a exceptional job of establishing what gamers are literally in for. As a result of actually, GTA is a vibe. The sequence has by no means had one of the best motion or driving or capturing. As an alternative, what has changed into a behemoth following GTAIII is the large, expansive worlds it lets gamers discover. Whilst open world video games from different builders have continued to impress — whether or not it’s Murderer’s Creed in Japan or Nintendo increasing Hyrule — there’s nonetheless nothing fairly like Rockstar’s reasonable rendition of Americana. And the preliminary GTAVI trailer guarantees simply that, solely greater, and with an absurd Florida twist.
Rockstar is among the few builders that may not solely make a sport of this scale, but in addition afford to take its time like this. GTAV is a money cow, and in between the studio has additionally stuffed that point up with a brand new Pink Lifeless Redemption. When saying right this moment’s delay, Rockstar explained that “the objective has all the time been to attempt to exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is not any exception. We hope you perceive that we want this additional time to ship on the degree of high quality you anticipate and deserve.” The hype for GTAVI has hit such a level that it has to be proper at launch — and after we’ve already waited 12 years, what’s yet one more?