Key Takeaways:
- Rockstar Games released GTA VI teaser trailer a day earlier after it was leaked on social media
- GTA VI will come out in 2025, 13 years after the prequel GTA V, and is set to take place in the infamous Vice City
- For the first time, the game will feature a female protagonist around whom the story revolves
A decade and a day earlier, the most anticipated video game sequel trailer is here. Rockstar Games officially revealed the first look for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 after it was leaked on social media.
The trailer was scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, December 5 at 9 AM ET. However, the studio had to respond quickly to a leak on Monday by publishing the full trailer a day earlier than expected on its official YouTube channel.
“Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube”, posted Rockstar on its X account. Such was the clip’s popularity that it racked up 32 million views on YouTube just four hours after being uploaded.
You may watch the new trailer here:
“We’ve waited 10 years for this moment and it’s finally here”, read one comment that was liked 343,000 times.
Rockstar Launches GTA VI Trailer, Giving Us a First-Look At The Upcoming Game
The teaser trailer gives us a first look at the game’s female protagonist, Lucia, who is serving time in prison. Lucia is the first female lead in GTA’s history.
The game is set in Vice City, a clone of Miami that is all too familiar for fans who’ve played Grand Theft Auto – Vice City, which came out in 2002. The setting features all the classic elements of Miami, such as fast cars, gangs, shootouts, and even an alligator walking into a convenience store. How Floridian?
In addition, the trailer shows TikTok clips and live streams, indicating that social media will play a big part in GTA VI. Furthermore, there are lots of quick shots of gang and car-related crimes.
It then cuts to show Lucia with her unnamed male partner-in-crime. Both are presumably lovers as there are scenes where they are shown in bed together.
What we understand from the trailer is that Lucia gets out of prison and commits a series of crimes along with her boyfriend in Vice City. As the game progresses, the city is engulfed in chaos while the couple is on the run from the Police as well as gang members.
The clip ends with Lucia telling her partner “The only way we’re gonna get through this is by sticking together and being a team”.
Eager games might have been left a little disappointed after the end credits confirmed GTA VI would be coming in 2025.
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GTA VI Leaks Have Been Busy Rocking Rockstar
Rockstar said in November that the first trailer for the game would be premiered in “early December”. A confirmation of the date came on December 1, when the studio revealed the teaser would be released on December 5. But Rockstar had to unveil it a day early due to the apparent leak.
This is not the first time a leak has affected Rockstar and GTA VI. Earlier this year, a 90-minute developer footage of the game was leaked online in a colossal data breach at the studio.
A hacker gained access to the developer’s internal Slack channel, which led to them publishing 12 videos showing various in-game action sequences like robberies, shoot-outs, and open-world driving.
Authorities eventually arrested a British teenager who was found responsible for the incident. At the time, Rockstar said it was “extremely disappointed” with the leak but insisted that it wouldn’t affect the game’s development.
Additionally, just last week a clip surfaced on TikTok showing leaked footage from the upcoming game. The video that was allegedly uploaded by a Rockstar employee’s kid features footage of a computer screen showing off-wide shots of the GTA VI setting.
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GTA VI Is Coming Out 12 Years After Its Best-Selling Prequel
Fans have been waiting for GTA VI ever since GTA V came out 10 years ago in 2013. The prequel was considered by critics as one of the best games to have ever been made. With over 185 million copies sold to date, GTA V is the highest-selling game title of all time behind only Minecraft.
This also happens to be the longest interval between the two versions of Grand Theft Auto. Earlier games were released within a much shorter timeframe, with GTA III coming out in 2001, GTA Vice City in 2002, GTA San Andreas in 2004, and Grand Theft Auto 6 releasing in 2008.
Bloomberg gaming journalist Jason Schreier said it was GTA V’s popular multiplayer mode that was the reason why there hadn’t been “quite the same urgency” to get the sequel out at Rockstar.
For those who are eager to know the GTA VI launch date, its publisher Take-Two Interactive dropped a hint back in May when it projected massive financial growth between April 2024 and March 2025 that could be driven by the launch of a highly successful game series.
Will GTA VI be coming out in March 2025? Let us wait and see.
