While one of the screenshots just shows off what appears to be typical traffic during a daytime commute on a bridge lacking any pedestrians and focusing entirely on people traveling in various vehicles, the other two instead focus on the nightlife of various spots in Vice City and other parts of the state.

One of these seems to involve a meet-up of some sort between groups that like to modify and showcase their vehicles. While far from any confirmation, the scene could be connected to the illegal street racing activity that we got a brief glimpse of in the Extended Look last month. It is easy to imagine this scene featuring someone blaring a radio station like Cocoteo FM or Dirty South Classics from their car’s speakers.

The third showcases Vice City dripped in neon shortly after what may have been some heavy rainfall, as the various puddles across the sidewalk and road might indicate. Given the emphasis on neon lights, fast cars, and a nightlife in this screenshot, one can imagine some synthpop playing courtesy of radio stations like Flash FM.

Interestingly, according to fan site Rockstar Intel, the graphics for three of the radio stations – Cocoteo FM, Back Country Radio, and Dirty South Classics – were also highly-edited screenshots of scenarios created in the game itself. This is especially impressive when looking at the close-up of the hip hop artist in the banner for Dirty South Classics, and even the silhouetted figure in the graphic for Back Country Radio, which could have easily looked like pictures taken in real life before being edited.

Rockstar unveiled these radio stations through a brand-new web page, where it also offered short previews of what kinds of music players can expect to hear. Along with this, we also get quick introductions to some of the hosts running these radio stations, which include Tom Araya and Kerry King of the band Slayer hosting the metal-centric The Chamber 106.6, and Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny being one of the hosts for Cocoteo FM.

Pop artist Lana Del Rey has also confirmed that she, alongside country-pop singer Morgan Wallen, play the roles of Back Country Radio hosts Delta Dawne and MW, respectively. Del Rey spoke about having previously been a massive fan of Grand Theft Auto 5, and how knowing the in-game city’s layout helped her navigate Los Angeles when she visited the city with her family.

There are likely going to be more radio stations in Grand Theft Auto 6 that cover a wider selection of music, since many genres like funk and modern hip hop remain unaccounted for, at least for now.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19th.

Ocasio and Naomi Ramírez Rivera, aka singer RaiNao, play El Martillo and La Gata on Cocoteo FM. Del Rey and country-pop singer Morgan Wallen voice Back Country Radio’s hosts, MW and Delta Dawne. Interestingly, Mud Dog Mike, who roams the Grassrivers and also serves as a “swamp meteorologist”, is played by Jeremy Dufrene, Del Rey’s husband.

While their names carry undeniable weight in terms of mainstream appeal, Del Rey has been a Grand Theft Auto fan for a long time, right down to appreciating GTA 5’s attention to detail in recreating Los Angeles. “One of the coolest things about this is the fact that the first time some of our family got to LA, they actually knew the roads because of playing the game.

“On so many different levels, this is super special and a privilege. Can’t wait to get into the game and start playing.”

Of course, the other radio stations have their fill of important names, namely Robyn and Alex Consani for Flash FM and Slayer’s Kerry King and Tom Araya for The Chamber 106.6. Rockstar is keeping mum about them, but it confirmed that Lucia and Jason can now listen to the radio and podcasts on foot thanks to new headphones.

Launching on November 19th, Grand Theft Auto 6 isn’t just innovating in terms of how it handles music. It also promises more freedom with its missions, which should be good news for those feeling constrained by GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2.

These include Cocoteo FM (modern Latin music), Back Country Radio (Country), AfroBank FM (African), The Chamber (classic 80s metal), Flash FM (Pop) and Dirty South Classics (regional rap and hip-hop). Each offers distinct hosts, alongside extras like Back Country Radio’s Mud Dog Mike, a “roving reporter” and “swamp meteorologist” who ventures the Grassrivers on his airboat to provide…updates of some nature.

Rockstar is touting this as the “biggest and widest-ranging selection of in-game radio yet”, but that’s not all. As many fans predicted, Jason and Lucia can listen to both on foot and in vehicles thanks to new headphones. If that wasn’t enough, you can also tune into a “series of on-demand podcasts.” Whether these provide the lay of the land or some of the more bizarre happenings remains to be seen, but it could also lead to interesting discoveries.

Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on November 19th for Xbox Series X/S and PS5. And while it won’t have a physical edition (at least one with a disc), you can pick up the album on the same day with 34 original tracks from artists like Travis Scott, Keith Richards, Yung Lean, and more. Head here for more details.

Discussing the balance struck by the team between offering players freedom and telling a coherent story, Nelson noted that, sometimes, “the narrative aspect does need to take precedence” over the gameplay. This means that the developers have to make sure that players hit certain story beats, which leads to the team needing to “kind of guide the experience.” However, with GTA 6, the team has “made a very conscious effort to open things up where possible, without compromising the quality of the experience.”

Pointing to the mission showcased in the Grand Theft Auto 6 Extended Look that had Jason and Lucia participate in what appeared to be a drug deal in the midst of a police raid, Nelson said that players will have “multiple routes out of that tower block.” Similarly, the other mission where the duo met Raul has an on-rails shooter segment in the beginning, but once players take control of Lucia to drive the car, there are more ways for players to get to the objective while evading the cops and avoiding the “optimal” route.

“Anything where a mission can become systemic, and it’s a wanted level or robbery system – we try to make it so that it doesn’t feel inconsistent with how the game works in the open world.”

Nelson also noted that this doesn’t mean that players will have the ultimate freedom to complete missions however they want. “It can sometimes be hard to keep the quality as high as you want if you allow for too much freedom or too much choice on missions, but we are really trying wherever we can.” While some missions will offer freedom, others might be a bit more scripted. To counter this, however, he also confirmed that the team has been “pushing very hard to raise the level of quality with everything that can happen in the open world”, to the extent that open-world events might feel indistinguishable from a scenario in a mission.

“We have a lot of emergent, natural-feeling stuff happening pretty often now as you roam around the world. That was truly emergent for me when we drove past that car park, and Jason suggested we do that job – I hadn’t actually heard that dialogue from him myself yet. And it worked – I was going to a pawn shop, then Jason said, ‘Should we go do this?’ as we drove by, and I changed my mind.”

He also spoke about how the character dynamics between Jason and Lucia will play a role in this, and how GTA 6 will showcase “how much fun it can be to be with your partner.” The robberies from the Extended Look served as examples, representing “a HUGE part of what you can and need to be doing in this game between story missions.”

Interestingly, Nelson also confirmed that the partner character can play a vital role in robberies. Pointing to one of the robberies where Jason is waiting for Lucia on a bike as the latter gets out of a store with a bag before the two then ride off, he said that “The partner can drive pretty well, so you can often have the partner drive to get you away from the cops, and you, as the player, can be shooting behind. Sometimes when it really works, and you blow out their tires, and the front car goes flipping around, blocking the cars behind it, blocking them all, or when the partner drives you to beat a train at the last second, blocking them off, it can feel like you’re playing a scripted mission, which is totally new for us.”

Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19th.

The prospect of Grand Theft Auto 6 being available through cloud streaming was an exciting one, especially for PC gamers, since Rockstar Games hasn’t yet confirmed any release date for the platforms. If it were to be made available through cloud streaming, the Xbox Series X/S version of GTA 6 could have ended up being the only way for PC players to experience the game until a native port is released. For now, however, it looks like PC players will simply have to wait for over a year until an inevitable port is released, going by Rockstar’s history with games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2.

“While the excitement for GTAVI and Xbox is great to see, it has also led to some misreporting. We are looking forward to launching GTAVI on Xbox November 19, though the game will not be streaming exclusively or to PC.”

A report from last month indicated that pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 had been heavily skewed towards the PS5 version, resulting in “ringing yet more alarm bells” at Xbox. According to The Verge’s Tom Warren, the company was seemingly looking into ways to boost pre-order sales on its own consoles. Responding to this, however, Ball said that the company has been “very happy” with pre-orders on Xbox so far.

“Tom, we are very happy with GTA VI pre-orders. The title is breaking records for Xbox; we expect even more records will be broken throughout the fall, and our internal analysis shows our share of pre-orders to be matching our share of the console market.”

Interestingly, Ball’s response didn’t specifically deny the idea that pre-order figures on PS5 might have been heavily outperforming those on Xbox Series X/S. Instead, he was more focused on the fact that the Xbox version’s pre-orders have been largely staying in line with the company’s overall position in the console market these days.

In the meantime, it looks like Grand Theft Auto 6 will be Rockstar’s most ambitious title yet, with all of the gameplay showcases in recent times revolving around how detailed the open-world game will be. It is also expected to cause a major boost in console sales across the board, with many new gamers entering the market just to play it.

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida believes that, while it will take some time, another game will replicate the success seen by Grand Theft Auto 6. In an interview, Yoshida said that it might even end up being Grand Theft Auto 7 once Rockstar Games decides to work on a brand-new entry.

For more on Grand Theft Auto 6, check out 15 details that reveal the depth of Rockstar’s vision.

Much of that new information could help you decide whether that hefty price tag is worth it. Also, this piece is simply stating known information; we explain the decisions, opportunities, or complications those features could create. So let’s start with everything new we’ve learned about 2026’s biggest release.

1. Hurricanes Lend Leonidas a Layer of Unpredictability

Hurricanes and tropical storms are now a thing in Leonidas, and we’re expecting them to come with gameplay implications that could affect familiar routes, or perhaps change familiar routines or encounters. That it could all unfold dynamically is another exciting possibility, which could happen if there’s enough integration within the game’s weather systems.

We’re already dreaming of a standard mission turning into a fight for survival if Jason or Lucia get caught in severe weather, and the potential effects it could have on driving, the world, and perhaps even the outcomes of missions.

2. Weather Changes With A Lasting Impact

gta 6 new screenshot

Of course, it’s not all about gloomy forecasts in this one, and those storm clouds are eventually going to part ways and let the sun shine over the lands they’ve just battered. You’re apparently going to be able to see the effects of the weather on the world around you.

Imagine travelling a long distance to find the sun lighting up wet surfaces that let you know that you just missed a bit of rain, or perhaps worse weather. It’s a detail that could make the world that much more immersive, and if the lighting and reflections can make good use of it, it might even allow us to make our peace with the 30 fps target on PS5.

3. Wind Is Now Part Of The Simulation

Breezes and updrafts being able to react naturally to buildings is going to be a great touch. We’re thinking about how that immediately creates the scope for interactions with vegetation, water, and perhaps even debris if the wind gets strong enough.

There’s always the possibility of it being a factor during gameplay, giving exploration a new layer of immersion that future additions to the open world genre must then look to match. Let’s see where the wind takes us in Leondias first, though.

4. Usable Interiors

Rockstar has spoken of a substantial expansion of interiors this time around, and while that’s an obvious plus to quality, we’re also interested in how that could impact gameplay. It could immediately make a case for going between places on foot, looking for ways to make connections between previously visited areas while new opportunities present themselves, hidden away from Leonidas’s busy streets.

Finding accessible areas tucked away in buildings is definitely going to add to the scope of what you can get up to in GTA 6, and is an addition we think comes with potentially intriguing applications.

5. More Than Scenery In The Countryside

With more than 170 animal species for you to encounter in Leonidas, with distinctions between native and invasive ones, it’s easy to see a connection between the weather and potentially different ecosystems that let them thrive while lending a distinct identity to rural areas that act as an incentive to visit them.

It’s also a great reason to go off the beaten track, especially if there are rewards involved if you’re able to find exotic ones. Either way, it’s nice to see the game encourage going off paved roads from time to time, although just how much continues to be a mystery.

6. Rare And Legendary Fauna To Find

We’re enthusiastic about the variety of Leonidas’ animal life since some animals are trackable and are even classified as Rare, Discoverable, and Legendary.

What that means from a gameplay perspective remains under wraps for now, but it’s not hard to imagine exploration-focused forays into Leonidas and its surroundings that are centered around their discovery. There could be entire quest chains around them, for all we know, with all the potential for further discoveries that games of this nature often bring.

7. Underwater Exploration Has Its Own Wildlife

We’ve heard tell of sharks, whales, rays, turtles, and jellyfish, each coming with distinct movements and behaviour to make even below the surface a viable place to indulge your curiosity, and perhaps snap a few pictures if you can manage it.

Scuba diving could then become an activity that comes with its own unique vibe and set of rewards, which could be of use in other areas of the game. It’s a great touch that certainly makes each explorable aspect of the world worth exploring, and the fact that wildlife is a big part of it immediately makes that world feel lived in by more than just human NPCs.

8. Demolition Derbies

We’re kind of tired of the tried-and-tested racing tournament in open worlds, or missions where you’re just speeding along from point A to point B with perhaps a hint of variety in terms of differing objectives. We’re glad, then, that Leonidas is bringing Demolition Derbies, where survival is more important than getting to a finish line.

It’s a different kind of challenge, for starters, and we’re expecting it to bring vehicles built for that very purpose, with mechanics and handling that could vary from street cars. That’s a great way to experiment with collisions, and perhaps a bit of environmental destruction too if you want to see what the game can do under pressure.

9. Motocross And Mountain Biking

Those derbies aren’t the only alternative to racing, and getting to do them could mean that the terrain itself becomes a part of the journey instead of the road just being something you need to keep your wheels on at all times.

Switching to a bike would mean paying attention to gradients, trails, and the land around you in a way that a car simply wouldn’t facilitate. The obvious influence on organic exploration aside, this is also a great way to bring in other ways to enjoy the activity as you keep engaging with it, although what those could be is currently in the realm of speculation at this point.

10. Free Roaming For Leisure

This has always been a part of the GTA franchise’s draw, and having activities like billiards, mini golf, kayaking, airboating, and base jumping means there are so many options for you to kick back and allow Jason and Lucia to indulge in some much-needed rest and relaxation.

That’s going to be a worthwhile break considering how the glimpse of the main story we got involved a lot of stressful negotiating, shooting, and, of course, escaping, the stress of which is sure to build up. It’s nice to know we have options to let loose, and that our new protagonists aren’t all about work with no play.

11. Your Choices Could Be A Reason To Return

You’re probably going to tear through everything this one has to offer quite quickly if you’re as excited to play it as we are, but the good news is that there are consequences to your choices, both wide and small, that could make repeat playthroughs a great way to wring more out of the game once you roll the credits on it.

That’s definitely a plus point when you consider the price on this one, and having that replayability in a world that’s seemingly built to be as unpredictable as it can means there’s a potentially new set of adventures waiting for those of you who choose to dive back in as soon as you’re done with a playthrough.

12. The Vehicle Scanner

The knowledge of the WAiNK system supplying information on security, registration cost, and resale value of vehicles is interesting to us mainly since we’re the type who like to pick up our rides on the go instead of relying on one that we parked a distance away.

Of course, Jason and Lucia’s legal troubles are an obstacle to that approach, and we’re expecting vehicle theft to be a deliberate choice that you’re going to have to make, calculating the risks and rewards of boosting specific rides and deciding on keeping them once they’ve served their purpose.

13. No One’s Safe From Rush Hour Traffic

Leonidas is a busy place, and Jason and Lucia aren’t the only ones with things to do in the city. That means choosing to get somewhere at the wrong time would mean being forced to account for traffic-related delays.

A familiar route you’re depending on could become your biggest bottleneck if you’re not careful, and it’s nice to know that the city thrives alongside you as you make your way across it. It could become something to think about if you’re looking at potential escape routes, which is always nice since it adds a layer of strategy to the gameplay loop if the dice happen to fall that way.

14. You Can’t Always Count On Your Car Being There

Jason and Lucia have their car stolen during a bridge-jumping encounter, and it’s a great showcase of how optional or dynamic encounters can change the flow of your moment-to-moment gameplay.

We’re sure this doesn’t mean you can’t ever leave your vehicles unattended, but it’s an interesting wrinkle of unpredictability to Leonidas’s that could translate to some very interesting gameplay beats the more you explore the city.

15. It’s More Intentional With Weapons

Limited weapon carrying capacities for Jason, Lucia, and their vehicle means you’re going to have to choose loadouts and commit to specific weapons before you leave your car, and we’re expecting some sort of inventory management system to be in play.

It could mean preparation and adaptability in the heat of the moment could be two sides of intense firefights where you’re looking to make the most of your own weapons and perhaps trying to turn your enemy’s firepower on them at the same time.

And there you have it. That’s a lot of new information to take in, and we’re sure there’s going to be more coming along in the few weeks that are left before our chapter in Leonidas gets off to a flying start. We hope to see you there, and that we’re going to be having many more of these conversations about an open world that looks like one we’re going to regret leaving every time we log off.

As outlined in LOVE Magazine’s latest issue, head of development Aaron Garbut said, “Every game we make starts with research trips. It’s where we get to explore both the place and our ideas as a group. To begin, a small group of us spent some time traveling from Miami through some of the surrounding towns and through the Florida Keys down to Key West. This is one of the best parts of the entire project: a car full of friends, driving for days on end, talking about what we want to make and being immersed in the locations and our ideas.”

Of course, that also meant flying, and at one point to close out the day, the team passed over a live concert where Beyoncé was playing. But it’s about more than just sightseeing, as Rockstar likes to go “in-depth” and “hang with locals.”

“We hear lots of stories and learn as much as we can. We travel around with cops and with gang members. Everyone is lovely. Some people are equally scary. We experience the underside as well; although the people who showed us around were among the nicest we’ve met, the stories, the places, the details could be terrifying. We try to build a world that is believable and varied, with depth, so that is the research we need.

“Miami itself is really those extremes — lovely people, incredible wealth, incredible poverty, excess, craziness, the hustle, and showing it all off. That’s our research trips — experiencing those extremes so that we can bring them into our world, and it all finds its way into the game in surprising ways.”

It’s certainly manifested in different ways, right down to how NPCs will dress in different locations. Despite all this realism, however, you probably shouldn’t expect attractions like Disney Park or Universal Studios to appear in-game.

Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on November 19th for Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Suffice it to say that there’s quite a lot that we still don’t know. Even after revealing several of the artists contributing to the soundtrack (which is getting its own physical release), players can look forward to a “dynamic score” and the next “evolution” of in-game radio. Stay tuned for more details en route to launch, and check out our feature for the latest.

In an interview with The Verge during a recent episode of The Vergecast, Yoshida said another game might match up to Grand Theft Auto 6’s hype. However, he also acknowledged that it might just end up being Rockstar again when it eventually decides to develop Grand Theft Auto 7.

“After 15 years, maybe GTA 7, we’ll see,” he said when asked whether GTA 6’s success and hype will ever be matched by another game. “Or any of these companies from China, they might try to emulate or compete, because there will be [a] 15-year gap after GTA 6. So, no one should underestimate the power of these Chinese companies.”

Rockstar Games itself hasn’t shied away from discussing how much pressure it is facing for Grand Theft Auto 6. In an interview with Game Informer, Rockstar North co-studio head Aaron Garbut said the team is working hard to deliver the best product.

“As the pressure for us on this project is huge, we dealt with that by doing our best to over-deliver. Normally you compromise scale for detail or detail for interaction, but with this project we went the other way – everything is dialed up – detail, scope, breadth, scale, interaction, and density. I don’t think we have ever created anything close to this before.”

For an example of just how highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 is before its November 19th release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, last month’s Extended Look showcase – released as a timed exclusive on Netflix – was seemingly a massive success for the streaming giant. Analysts estimated that it attracted more than 100,000 new sign-ups in the US, making it the third-highest subscriber acquisition for Netflix this year.

Netflix itself had confirmed that the Extended Look for Grand Theft Auto 6 garnered 31.1 million views in its first week, topping the English film charts for the streaming service in 87 of the 93 countries where this data is tracked.

The Grand Theft Auto 6 Extended Look was around 27 minutes and featured plenty of in-engine gameplay footage showcasing a variety of missions, cutscenes, activities, and conversations. However, CEO of Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two Interactive, Strauss Zelnick, has referred to the Extended Look as being “one of the hors d’oevres” in the game’s overall marketing plans.

“There’s appetizers, main course and dessert to follow,” he said before going on to call Netflix “a great marketing partner for us, and distribution partner.” Zelnick also revealed the collaboration came together thanks to “a groundbreaking partnership that Rockstar arranged.”

For more on Grand Theft Auto 6, check out what the studio has said about its world and its two protagonists.

Speaking about his own interest in Grand Theft Auto 6, Klíma said in an interview with PC Gamer that it “doesn’t appeal to me at all”.

“I am not going to be playing GTA 6 unless I’m somehow forced to. And the reason why it is so popular—it beats me. It’s something which I just fail to understand.”

However, Klíma said he hopes that Grand Theft Auto 6 is successful. “It’s really good that somebody is making these games that are really technological marvels,” since it might embolden more companies to pursue the higher price points for their games. In the current state of the market, however, he believes that “The last thing you can do is to increase the unit price.”

“That would help a lot, but everybody’s scared to death about it. Now, hopefully, GTA will blaze the trail, and it will allow us to increase the cost.”

On the other hand, he noted that Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games are two of the companies “who can afford, or who can dare, to increase the price of games, which I think is long overdue and also necessary for this business to survive. So, I wish them all the luck.”

Interestingly, Klíma’s thoughts echo DFC Intelligence analyst David Cole, who believed Nintendo and Rockstar Games might be paving the path for more companies to pursue the $80 price point. Others, however, have disagreed. NYU Stern School of Business professor and industry researcher Joost van Dreunen believes that this price tag is “reserved for only a select few titles and franchises”.

“Gaming is increasingly becoming a luxury category. Its economics have historically centered around a winner-takes-most model, and GTA 6 raises the bar again. Publishers who can clear it will pull further ahead, and those who cannot will have to compete on distribution instead, finding new channels, bundles, and pricing models to reach players the blockbusters don’t.”

Grand Theft Auto 6 occupies a strange space in gaming, since it is shaping up to essentially be one of the biggest media releases of all time. As such, Rockstar had the freedom to go for a higher price tag than the industry standard of $70. This could be seen when pre-orders started in June, with the base edition priced at $80 and an Ultimate Edition available for $100.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19th, and its impending release seems to have already led to console shortages in some regions. A report from last month claims that pre-orders caused a 33 percent jump in PS5 console sales in the UK and a 34 percent jump for Xbox Series X/S.

“It needs to wash over you when you’re sprinting down the busiest street in the city, hearing snatches of a hundred different conversations as you go. If you shift your focus onto something new, it’s going to fill the frame, and it’s going to push back,” he said in a snippet posted by the publication on Instagram.

One example provided is Amborsia, where you’ll see voting signs, hear radio commercials, or see a “political talk show working itself into the state.” But it’s all satirical in the way that Grand Theft Auto is known for. “There is a big focus on not just holding up a mirror,” says Rupert Humphries, senior VP of narrative, “But on making everything satirical, larger than life, and more grotesque.” That may be why the team “ran with” things like “conspiracy theories, the strange ways the public reacts to everyday occurrences,” and so on. Truth is stranger than fiction, after all.

However, as much as Rockstar has been a proponent of realism, from how you steal cars to new criminal profiles that police can build on the characters, it’s seeking a healthy balance. “Sometimes you need things to feel realistic to help with immersion, and conversely, sometimes you need to forego realism in favor of what’s convenient for the player.”

Grand Theft Auto 6 is out on Xbox Series X/S and PS5, and if it wasn’t obvious enough already, this may be the biggest video game launch in years. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick called pre-orders “unprecedented and astonishing.” He later revealed, unsurprisingly, that the $100 Ultimate Edition is more popular.