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Trailers - Version 25 vs Version 26
Jul 4, 2026, 08:44 PM
Refreshed Trailer 3 / marketing status: the launch marketing campaign has begun (cover art June 18, pre-orders June 25); no third trailer released as of early July 2026
Jul 12, 2026, 12:07 AM
Fixed missing separators where wikilinks abutted following text (2026-07-12)
11Trailers22As of July 2026, Rockstar Games has released two official trailers for Grand Theft Auto VI. Both generated record-breaking viewership and revealed significant details about the game's setting, characters, and tone. No third trailer has been released for Grand Theft Auto VI as of early July 2026, and Rockstar Games has not announced a date for one ahead of the November 19, 2026 launch. The game did not appear at the June 2026 Summer Game Fest showcase. Rockstar opened the game's launch marketing in late June 2026, revealing the official cover art on June 18 and opening pre-orders on June 25, matching the summer 2026 window Take-Two had described.44Trailer 1 (December 5, 2023)66Release and Reception88The first trailer was scheduled for December 5, 2023, but leaked on December 4, prompting Rockstar to release it officially the same day. It runs approximately 90 seconds and is set to "Love Is a Long Road" by Tom Petty. The song saw a roughly 37,000% increase in Spotify streams within 24 hours of the trailer's release.1010The trailer became the most-viewed non-music video on YouTube in its first 24 hours, surpassing 90 million views in that period. It marked the first official reveal of GTA VI's gameplay footage, setting, and protagonists.1313Key Reveals1515RevealDetailsSettingThe state of Leonidaa fictional Florida, with Vice City (fictional Miami) as the primary urban hub.Dual protagonistsA man and a woman, later confirmed as Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. Lucia was shown behind bars and later free, suggesting a prison backstory.Modern-day time periodContemporary cars, smartphones, social media apps, and modern fashion confirm a present-day setting.Social media cultureNPCs were shown filming events on their phones, posting to in-game social media platforms.WildlifeAlligators roaming through suburban neighborhoods and swimming pools.Vice City's neon nightlifeSweeping aerial shots of a neon-lit Art Deco cityscape.16+RevealDetailsSettingThe state of Leonida, a fictional Florida, with Vice City (fictional Miami) as the primary urban hub.Dual protagonistsA man and a woman, later confirmed as Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. Lucia was shown behind bars and later free, suggesting a prison backstory.Modern-day time periodContemporary cars, smartphones, social media apps, and modern fashion confirm a present-day setting.Social media cultureNPCs were shown filming events on their phones, posting to in-game social media platforms.WildlifeAlligators roaming through suburban neighborhoods and swimming pools.Vice City's neon nightlifeSweeping aerial shots of a neon-lit Art Deco cityscape.1717Trailer 2 (May 6, 2025)1818Release and Reception2020The second trailer was released on May 6, 2025, four days after Rockstar announced the first delay (pushing the game from Fall 2025 to May 26, 2026). It runs nearly three minutes and is set to "Hot Together" by The Pointer Sisters, with additional music including "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung. For the full soundtrack details, see that article.2222Rockstar confirmed that all footage in Trailer 2 was "Captured on PS5." The trailer received over 475 million views across all platforms within its first 24 hours, surpassing the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer as the biggest cross-platform video launch of all time.2424Key Reveals2626RevealDetailsFull character namesRockstar's accompanying website update confirmed "Jason Duval" and "Lucia Caminos" with written backstories.Supporting castProfiles for Brian Heder and Cal Hampton and Boobie Ike and Raul Bautista and Dre'Quan Priest and Bae-Luxe and Roxy (Real Dimez) were published.Corrupt copAn unnamed police officer conducting backroom deals, delivering the line "Us cops gotta stick together."Vice City in detailExtended footage of city districts, nightlife, beaches, and commercial areas.TheLeonida KeysJason's starting location. This shows island living with boats and bars.Gameplay detailsWeapon carrying limits visible (weapons stored in vehicle trunks), MMA cage fighting, gym workouts, kayaking, fishingdiving.VehicleinteriorsDetailed dashboards with working mirrors and instruments.70 screenshotsReleased alongside the trailer on the official website.27+RevealDetailsFull character namesRockstar's accompanying website update confirmed "Jason Duval" and "Lucia Caminos" with written backstories.Supporting castProfiles for Brian Heder and Cal Hampton and Boobie Ike and Raul Bautista and Dre'Quan Priest and Bae-Luxe and Roxy (Real Dimez) were published.Corrupt copAn unnamed police officer conducting backroom deals, delivering the line "Us cops gotta stick together."Vice City in detailExtended footage of city districts, nightlife, beaches, and commercial areas.TheLeonida KeysJason's starting location. This shows island living with boats and bars.Gameplay detailsWeapon carrying limits visible (weapons stored in vehicle trunks), MMA cage fighting, gym workouts, kayaking, fishing diving.Vehicle interiorsDetailed dashboards with working mirrors and instruments.70 screenshotsReleased alongside the trailer on the official website.2828Trailer 1 Detailed Breakdown2929The first trailer, released on December 4, 2023, runs approximately ninety seconds and is set to Tom Petty's 1989 track "Love Is a Long Road" from the album Full Moon Fever. The trailer opens with social media-style footage of Vice City life, including beachgoers, nightclub scenes, and street activity, before introducing protagonists Lucia and Jason in a montage of criminal activity, car chases, and intimate moments. Key scenes include Lucia's release from Leonida Penitentiarya highway chase along Interstate 404, racing dirt bikes in traffic, speedboat sequences in the Leonida Keysthe pair sharing a quiet moment overlooking the Vice City skyline.30+The first trailer, released on December 4, 2023, runs approximately ninety seconds and is set to Tom Petty's 1989 track "Love Is a Long Road" from the album Full Moon Fever. The trailer opens with social media-style footage of Vice City life, including beachgoers, nightclub scenes, and street activity, before introducing protagonists Lucia and Jason in a montage of criminal activity, car chases, and intimate moments. Key scenes include Lucia's release from Leonida Penitentiary, a highway chase along Interstate 404, racing dirt bikes in traffic, speedboat sequences in the Leonida Keys the pair sharing a quiet moment overlooking the Vice City skyline.3131The song's opening lyric, "There was a girl I knew," directly parallels the trailer's introduction of Lucia as the franchise's first female protagonist. Tom Petty's track saw a 36,979% increase on Spotify streams following the trailer's release, nearly 250,000 Shazam searches, and reached second place on the worldwide iTunes chart.3434Trailer 1 Records3636Trailer 1 set the Guinness World Record for the most-viewed video game trailer in 24 hours, accumulating 90,421,491 YouTube views within the first day. This record-breaking performance shattered three separate Guinness records simultaneously. The trailer was leaked approximately 16 hours before its scheduled release, yet still achieved record numbers once the official version went live.3838Trailer 2 Detailed Breakdown4040The second trailer, released on May 6, 2025, runs nearly three minutes and has the Pointer Sisters' 1986 track "Hot Together" as its primary soundtrack. Additional music includes Jay Ferguson's "Thunder Island" (1977), Zenglen's "Child Support" (a kompa track reflecting Caribbean rhythms), and Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" playing on an in-game car radio. The inclusion of "Hot Together" triggered a 182,000% increase in Spotify streams for the song.4242The trailer shows significantly more gameplay and story detail than its predecessor. It opens with Jason driving through Leonidapassing road signs for AmbrosiaDowntown, VCI Airport, and Southside. Scenes include Jason lifting weights on a beach (suggesting the return of RPG-style fitness mechanics from earlier entries in the series), the Sahara Arena entertainment complex in Downtown Vice City, and a Phil's Ammu-Nation commercial showing a reimagined version of Phil Cassidy. The trailer also revealed the release date of May 26, 2026, alongside 70 official screenshots and character bios published on Rockstar's updated website.43+The trailer shows significantly more gameplay and story detail than its predecessor. It opens with Jason driving through Leonida passing road signs for AmbrosiaDowntown, VCI Airport, and Southside. Scenes include Jason lifting weights on a beach (suggesting the return of RPG-style fitness mechanics from earlier entries in the series), the Sahara Arena entertainment complex in Downtown Vice City, and a Phil's Ammu-Nation commercial showing a reimagined version of Phil Cassidy. The trailer also revealed the release date of May 26, 2026, alongside 70 official screenshots and character bios published on Rockstar's updated website.4444A bearded police officer delivers the line, "Us cops, we gotta protect each other," hinting at a corrupt law enforcement subplot. Other notable details include the Real Dimez rap duo performing, expanded drive-by shooting from multiple vehicle positions, and underwater exploration sequences. The trailer's final moments show Lucia and Jason at different emotional registers, suggesting a relationship under significant strain.4646Trailer 2 Records4848Trailer 2 accumulated over 475 million views across all platforms (YouTube, X/Twitter, and TikTok) within its first 24 hours, making it the fastest-growing video launch in internet history. On X alone, the trailer registered 78.7 million views, while YouTube accounted for approximately 69 million in the first day. Within two hours of release, it had already broken multiple YouTube engagement records, reaching 19 million views, 312,000 comments, and 3 million likes in just four hours.5050On YouTube specifically, Trailer 2's 24-hour total of roughly 69 million views fell short of the 90.4 million record set by Trailer 1. Analysts attribute this to the multi-platform fragmentation of viewership, with X and TikTok absorbing a larger share in 2025 than in 2023. Despite this, the combined cross-platform total far exceeded any previous entertainment trailer debut. As of mid-2025, Trailer 2's total YouTube views surpassed the lifetime view count of the launch trailer for a prior franchise entry.5252Confirmed Trailer Songs5454SongArtistYearTrailerStreaming ImpactLove Is a Long RoadTom Petty1989Trailer 136,979% Spotify increase; #2 worldwide iTunesHot TogetherThe Pointer Sisters1986Trailer 2 (main)182,000% Spotify increaseThunder IslandJay Ferguson1977Trailer 2Significant streaming boostChild SupportZenglenN/ATrailer 2Introduced to wider audienceEverybody Have Fun TonightWang Chung1986Trailer 2 (car radio)Renewed streaming interest5656Awards and Recognition5757The trailers have earned GTA VI significant pre-release recognition. The game won Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards in both 2024 and 2025, making it one of only a handful of titles to win the award in consecutive years. At the 2024 ceremony, it beat Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yotei, Metroid Prime 4, and Monster Hunter Wilds.5959At the Golden Joystick Awards 2025GTA VI earned two prizes: Most Wanted Game (for the second consecutive year) and Best Game Trailer for Trailer 2. The Most Wanted vote was remarkably close, with GTA VI holding just a two-percent lead over The Witcher 4 out of more than 21 million total votes. Rockstar joined an exclusive group alongside Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 as the only games to win Most Wanted at the Golden Joysticks in back-to-back years.6161Trailer Comparison6363DetailTrailer 1Trailer 2Release dateDecember 5, 2023May 6, 2025Length~90 seconds~3 minutesMusicTom Petty, "Love Is a Long Road"Pointer Sisters, "Hot Together"; Wang Chung24-hour views90+ million475+ millionPlatform shownNot specifiedConfirmed PS5 footageCharacter namesNot namedJason Duval and Lucia CaminosAccompanying materialsNone70 screenshots, character profiles
