Summary
Grand Theft Auto 6, to no one’s surprise, is the most highly anticipated video game release of 2025. Although speculation has run rampant aboutGTA 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 thebrief reveal trailerfrom this past December.
As the end of 2024 draws ever closer, and the exciting, bombasticGTA 6reveal 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 intoGrand 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 toRed Dead Redemption 2’s launch, as a similar approach could be a perfect fit forGTA 6.
Rockstar Should Make an In-Depth Gameplay Breakdown for GTA 6
Unfortunately, there is no shortage of gaming companies that know how to take advantage of hype from audiences. This can lead toinfamous cases like the initially disastrousNo Man’s Skyor the unforgettably brokenCyberpunk 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 agameplay showcase forRed 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 mostsalient aspects ofRed 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 developercopyingRDR2’s gameplay showcase was Fntastic withThe 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 ofRDR2served a number of purposes, not the least of which was to demonstrate how Rockstar was leveraging gaming technology of the time.Red Dead Redemption 2was the studio’s first full release during the 8th console generation, so it was an understandably huge leap forward from 2013’sGTA 5.GTA 6will not only be Rockstar’s first game during this console generation, but the firstGrand Theft Autorelease in over a decade, so thedifferences between it andGTA 5will likely be enormous. By giving players a gameplay showcase similar to what was offered forRDR2, Rockstar could highlight these advancements in tech and design conventions, specifically insofar as they relate to theGTAformula, while inspiring confidence within the fanbase. With virtually no new information aboutGTA 6so far this year, ending 2024 with such a showcase would be a great way to keep momentum going.
Grand Theft Auto 6
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.
