Grand Theft Auto V, the last fully reworked version of the video game series, came out when Barack Obama was in his second term and the hottest new sports car was the C6 Corvette 427. Despite constant updates and new content since its 2013 debut, Rockstar Video Games’ flagship franchise is looking a little dated. Luckily, its followup – appropriately called Grand Theft Auto VI – is on its way with crisper visuals and more action.
Showcased in a glitzy trailer, the new game is set in Vice City, a locale that will be familiar to anyone who’s played the GTA III spinoff of the same name. However, the sixth installment of the game saga takes place in the modern day, and modern nuisances like street takeovers and quad-bike invasions.
The story follows a new main character named Lucia, seemingly released from prison at the beginning of the game. She is the franchise’s first female protagonist, and it seems as though the story will follow a Bonnie-and-Clyde tale as she attempts to evade authorities and keep from returning to jail again.
As on other iterations of Grand Theft Auto, expect the backstories and cast of characters to be large, and it appears as though social media like TikTok and neighborhood information apps like Citizen will get their own Vice City–oriented knockoffs, possibly a framing device to provide the player with context and information. The open-world format seems larger than ever in GTA VI, with scenes depicting not only the neon-lit, Miami-esque beaches of Vice City but also the swamps and trailer parks that surround it – complete with alligators in the plumbing.
Unfortunately, those who’ve been waiting more than a decade for the next Grand Theft Auto platform will have to wait a bit longer for VI. The trailer says the next installment is coming in 2025.
