Summary
December 5th, 2023 marked the start of the journey towardGrand Theft Auto 6, which is already arguably one of the most anticipated video game releases ever. It was known to be in development but only on this date did gamers finally see a trailer of what is to come in 2025.
TheGrand Theft Auto 6trailer is 90 seconds long but packed with frames showing different parts of Vice City, its surrounding areas, and the characters who reside there. There is a lot to unpack in the trailer, including some subtle details that give fans hints as to what the game will be like and the series staples that are coming back.
1Ocean View Hotel
While looking at the strip, one’s eyes are directed toward the line of fancy cars. However, take a look at the names of the buildings and there is a marquee with “view hotel” written on it with the first words obscured. It is a safe bet that the first word here is “Ocean,” a direct nod to the hotel fromGrand Theft Auto: Vice City.
While these HD games take place in a different continuity than the PS2 titles, they are known to reference the prior incarnations of the settings. Though this hotel is in the older game, people should not be holding their breath for Tommy Vercetti or Ken Rosenberg cameos.
2Crowd Density
This detail is staring viewers in the face throughout the whole trailer. It is easy to take for granted just how big and diverse the crowds are in the trailer and how impressive this will be when the game is finally in players' hands. In addition to how crowded it is, the vehicles and the people all look different in each shot.
Fitting this many characters on screen at one time is an impressive feat, and it is going to be even more jaw-dropping to see how they react to the player’s actions. The Rockstar devs seem determined to push the hardware to its very limits, and the trailer suggests that they’re well on their way toward doing so.
3The Cheetah Is Still Based On The Testarossa
In the same shot of the strip where the Ocean View hotel can be seen, one of the cars has “Ch33tah” written on its license plate. This was one ofthe fastest cars inVice Cityand was based on the Testarossa from the third season ofMiami Vice(the car Sunny Crockett received after his prior ride was blown to pieces).
Even thoughGrand Theft Auto 6appears to be set in the modern day, it is nice to see the car still taking after the famous 1980s television series. Perhaps it is hinting at the vibe and atmosphere still borrowing from the show andVice Citywith its mix of glitz and glamour with brutal, seedy crime.
4P.O.A.C.H.
When the officer is wrangling the alligator from the pool, viewers can see it is from a profile called P.O.A.C.H.; Protection Of Animals and Controlled Hunting. This continues the series' longstanding tradition of puns as company names.
This one is a little more creative than the often carnal nature of the previous company names (some of which are simply too dirty to write down here). The joke being, of course, that to poach is to illegally hunt or smuggle animals, something that the organization will presumably be against.
5"Petty Forever"
The song in theGTA 6traileris “Love is a Long Road” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It is particularly appropriate because the song is about a troubled relationship with its ups and downs, perhaps hinting at the two protagonists' arc through the game. Tom Petty was also a Florida native and passed away in 2017.
In the trailer’s final shot on the glass door, one of the stickers clearly says “Petty Forever” and is in the same design as the “Full Moon Fever” album cover, the LP for which the song was originally written. It is a heartwarming tribute for any Tom Petty fan.
6Hamlet
One of the few people to get a speaking line in the trailer is an old lady holding two hammers (not to be confused with Hammer Girl fromThe Raid 2).The comment accompanying the shot reads “Neighborhood watch don’t play around in Hamlet.”
This is yet another direct reference to Shakespeare being used as a location name. It is still too early to tell if this is an entire region of the map or a smaller neighborhood. All the same, the fact that the old lady got to say something when so many others did not suggests that she may prove to be an important character.
7The Writing In Spanish
One of the news channels featured in the trailer is called “Mega Noticias” or “Big News.” The headline says “Confession written in ink” and the heading below it describes how a tattoo on the perp’s neck was the key to solving the crime.
This moment shows thatGrand Theft Auto 6still has its humor intact. It also reflects some of the more darkly humorous headlines that have come out of Florida and has given it an unwanted reputation. Everyone knows what it means when someone says “Florida man…”
8The Haitian Flag
During a small segment where people drive through a small street on dirt bikes, a Haitian flag is seen hanging in the back of the shot. The dirt bike gang is also seen in the next shot in news footage. In 2002’sVice City,Haitian gangs were a significant part of the narrative, mostly dealing with the conflict between them and the Cuban gangs.
Will a similar conflict be the backdrop ofGrand Theft Auto 6’snarrative? Given that they get a few seconds of the debut trailer, one can at least be assured that the dirt bikers will play some kind of role in the plot.
