Summary
- Rockstar has been tight-lipped about GTA 6, raising speculation about how the game will be marketed and released.
- GTA Online's return in GTA 6 may not be a safe bet for Rockstar due to potential risks.
- An in-depth gameplay breakdown, similar to RDR2, could showcase GTA 6's advancements and build hype effectively.
Grand Theft Auto 6, to no one's surprise, is the most highly anticipated video game release of 2025. Although speculation has run rampant about GTA 6's possible approach to open-world gameplay, story, and online content, there's been little to no official information about the game revealed by Rockstar, beyond what was shown in the brief reveal trailer from this past December.
As the end of 2024 draws ever closer, and the exciting, bombastic GTA 6 reveal trailer shrinks further in the rearview, it's worth wondering how Rockstar will move forward. It seems unlikely that the studio will allow a full year to pass without giving any further insight into Grand Theft Auto 6, but exactly what form this next look could take is anyone's guess. Having said that, there's a lot of potential in reviving a classy, information-dense marketing tactic from the lead-up to Red Dead Redemption 2's launch, as a similar approach could be a perfect fit for GTA 6.
Why GTA 6's Online Mode Is at Bigger Risk Than GTA 5
It's probably safe to say that GTA Online will return in GTA 6, but its reprisal may be anything but a safe bet for Rockstar.
Rockstar Should Make an In-Depth Gameplay Breakdown for GTA 6
Red Dead Redemption 2's Final Gameplay Reveal Was a Stroke of Genius
Unfortunately, there is no shortage of gaming companies that know how to take advantage of hype from audiences. This can lead to infamous cases like the initially disastrous No Man's Sky or the unforgettably broken Cyberpunk 2077, but it's not always a bad thing. Indeed, when companies lean into hype while still being transparent, informative, and honest with their marketing, all parties can benefit.
A perfect example of this came in the late summer of 2018, when Rockstar released a gameplay showcase for Red Dead Redemption 2. This footage, though far from the first look players were getting at the game, offered a clear-cut, detailed picture of the game's most important mechanics and features, including gunplay and the stunningly realistic open-world sandbox. Rather than adopting typical marketing tactics, like using dramatic music to evoke emotion or promising the moon to audiences enamored with stunning visuals and purposeful editing, the showcase is comparably tame.
In it, a narrator covers the most salient aspects of Red Dead Redemption 2, explaining its design choices in an easy-to-understand and informative manner. This lent the showcase an elevated tone, conveying an implied respect for the prospective customer's time and money; the showcase did a great job of encouraging people to buy the game, but it accomplished this by being informative and inspiring confidence, rather than pouring fuel on the already-massive hype bonfire.
Funnily enough, the most recent instance of another developer copying RDR2's gameplay showcase was Fntastic with The Day Before, a failed project that was accused of ripping off other games, among other things.
How GTA 6 Could Adapt Rockstar's RDR2 Gameplay Trailer
The in-depth gameplay showcase of RDR2 served a number of purposes, not the least of which was to demonstrate how Rockstar was leveraging gaming technology of the time. Red Dead Redemption 2 was the studio's first full release during the 8th console generation, so it was an understandably huge leap forward from 2013's GTA 5. GTA 6 will not only be Rockstar's first game during this console generation, but the first Grand Theft Auto release in over a decade, so the differences between it and GTA 5 will likely be enormous. By giving players a gameplay showcase similar to what was offered for RDR2, Rockstar could highlight these advancements in tech and design conventions, specifically insofar as they relate to the GTA formula, while inspiring confidence within the fanbase. With virtually no new information about GTA 6 so far this year, ending 2024 with such a showcase would be a great way to keep momentum going.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- November 19, 2026
- ESRB
- Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
