In what can only be described as a whirlwind 12 hours, the GTA 6 trailer has been leaked, officially revealed well ahead of schedule, and, at the time of writing, since clocked over 60 million views on Rockstar's YouTube channel. Our first official glimpse of GTA 6 has been an impressive one, and while the trailer's untimely arrival is unfortunate for everyone behind the scenes, there's still loads for us to celebrate on this side of the fence in its wake.
Our GTA 6 trailer breakdown explores 12 things you might have missed amid the turbulence of the reveal, but the following list takes a closer, more granular look at some of the things that really dazzled during Vice City's debut showing. Here are five of the most impressive things about the GTA 6 trailer as highlighted by the 12DOVE team.
Realistic hair worthy of a shampoo commercial
"It's hard to ignore just how good the hair looks" If there's one thing that's come a long way in the past few years, it's hair physics and tech in the world of video games, and the GTA 6 trailer put on an impressive showing in this regard. It's hard to ignore just how good the hair not only looks, but how naturally it appears to move. From a ponytail that billows in the wind, to the stylish swishing flick of tresses as a woman poses by a pool, it really looks next-level. It's also great to see such a diverse range of characters and hairstyles on display, with different textures and hair colors that really impress upon you how full of life and detail this open-world setting appears to be. I have no doubt bringing to life long flowing virtual locks is no easy task, but the GTA 6 trailer has absolutely blown me away with its hair tech.
The potential of the sandbox
"There will always be something for you to do in Grand Theft Auto 6" There's a lot to unpack in the first GTA 6 trailer, but what's caught my attention is the scope of the open world. There's a lot of potential in a return to Vice City, and you see that on every one of its horizons. Take a look at the trailer again and try to focus on how much has been packed into every scene. The beaches and sun-soaked streets are densely populated with pedestrians, and always accompanied by another element which will unlock the carnage of the sandbox – helicopters and planes hang in the sky, boats weave along waves, and there are cars everywhere. The trailer is framed this way to subtly help you understand that there will always be something for you to do in Grand Theft Auto 6, and that you'll never have to wait all that long to kickstart some chaos. It's very impressive, and the scale of it all will likely be unrivaled when GTA 6 lands in 2025.
It's a true showcase of body diversity
"In this single GTA 6 trailer, we've already got so much more representation" I've always felt like the GTA series' representation of the human form has lent more on comedy than realism. Body types have always swung hard from the lithe and athletic to chronically obese than accurately aping the kind of variety we've come to celebrate in humanity. In this first GTA 6 trailer, however, we've already got so much more representation. One of the opening scenes on the beach is quite the showcase of curves and pecs, with not a comedy fat wobble in sight. That's reflected throughout the rest of the trailer too, both at the strip joint and the nightclub, along with the various social snippets that form a core part of the showcase. It's quite the celebration of body diversity in 90 seconds.
More satirical swipes than Karen can shake a hammer at
"GTA rarely misses a chance to riff on the cultural discourse of the day" Rockstar's penchant for poking fun at the real-world is unsurpassed in the broad spectrum of video games. From GTA 4's Statue of Happiness (a not-so-subtle interpretation of NYC's Statue of Liberty; this one holding a can of beer as opposed to a flaming torch), to its BAWSAQ stock exchange, and GTA 5's Facebook rip-off Lifeinvader, the developer rarely misses a chance to riff on the political and/or cultural discourse of the day. In 91 seconds, the first GTA 6 trailer covered a lot of ground to this end, with a TikTok-esque video-sharing platform featuring prominently towards the trailer's end, advertising boards promoting its signature in-game brands dotted around town – Pisswasser lager, anyone? – and that unhappy Karen wielding claw hammers in both hands. Hedonism has always led the charge in the series, but it seems GTA 6 has already dialed it up to 11, while taking aggressive satirical swipes left, right and center.
The buildings offer a glimpse into how the city's inhabitants live
"GTA 6 looks set to showcase the hyperbolic extremes of lavish wealth" Pastel-toned beachside condos by day, garish neon-lit strip clubs by night. The world of GTA 6 already looks like a Floridian caricature. It has all the coastal city grit and color we've come to expect from Rockstar's games over the years, and returning to Vice for just a minute and a half in the trailer left me wondering who we might find there. Apartment buildings galore boast of tightly-packed communities, all under the upturned noses of the elite as they preen by the pool outside hilltop mansions. Franklin's pad in GTA 5 was plush enough, but GTA 6 looks set to show a new hyperbolic extreme of lavish wealth versus the everyman. Sure, we see rich socialites living large, but with a fair few "Florida men" running rampant at gas stations, urban towns far from the bright city lights, and what looks like a bunch of shirtless white people frolicking in the mud at a monster truck rally, the GTA 6 trailer's super high-fidelity, beautifully-rendered architecture speaks volumes about those who call it home.
After much speculation, the GTA 6 release window is indeed some time in 2025
