Our first look at GTA 6 is almost officially here. Rockstar has confirmed the GTA 6 trailer release time for Tuesday, December 5 at 9am ET / 2pm UK. Given we've waited an absolute age for anything even slightly concrete pertaining to the next mainline Grand Theft Auto game by this point – its predecessor, GTA 5, spanned not one, not two, but three console generations, in case you needed reminding – let's take a second to breathe that in. Yes, according to Sam Houser, aka Mr Rockstar Games himself, we were to expect an official GTA 6 trailer in "early December". And, yes, now we're getting that early next week.
With December 5 now hurtling towards us faster than a stolen Banshee tearing down the pier at Vespucci Beach, we're in pole position to do what we do best: speculate. We'll find out exactly what the next long-awaited and much-anticipated installment of the Grand Theft Auto dynasty has in store for us very soon, but in the meantime let's hypothesize on what we might see – given we now have a concrete trailer release date.
GTA 6 trailer predictions
A blockbuster GTA 6 trailer
With the GTA 6 trailer now confirmed for December 5, we're celebrating all things Grand Theft Auto this festive season. Welcome to Grand Theft Advent – a month-long celebration of Rockstar's enduring crime sim series. Be sure to check in on our GTA 6 coverage hub for more every day throughout December.
After the unfortunate and unprecedented GTA 6 leaks of last year – whereby over 90 in-development images and videos were unlawfully pushed into the public domain – I suspect Rockstar will go BIG on the forthcoming GTA 6 trailer.
Not that the esteemed developer has ever shied away from spectacle when showcasing its latest wares – GTA 4 and GTA 5 had two of the most memorable cinematic stage-setters – but with everything that's come before, it's a safe bet that Rockstar will use this moving picture premiere to draw a line in the sand, and set the pace and tone moving forward.
Revealing the GTA 6 characters
As per the aforementioned leak, it's assumed (but still, obviously, unconfirmed) that GTA 6 includes two interchangeable protagonists, apparently named Jason and Lucia. If legit, the latter will mark the first playable female protagonist since the top-down DMA Design days of the series, and the first under Rockstar's care proper in its 25 years of existence. Again, the in-development footage we saw last year depicted the dual protagonists robbing a glass-fronted diner, a la the opening scene in Pulp Fiction.
A proper look at the GTA 6 location
Which leads us nicely to our next point: the GTA 6 setting. With the sun piercing the aforementioned diner's windows, and with palm trees lining the concrete thoroughfare outside, the suggestion that GTA 6 unfolds in its universe's pseudo slant on Miami, Vice City, seems credible. Signs adorned with 'Vice' were likewise spotted in the backdrops of the leaked videos and stills by intrepid would-be players at the time; and the teaser image Rockstar posted on social media on Friday, December 1 has the same sunset hues and palm trees associated with the same part of the world.
Against the series' historic tendency to follow the Liberty City (NYC), San Andreas (LA/California), Vice City (Miami) trifecta likewise underlines that likelihood. It's worth noting that the last interpretation of Vice – 2002's GTA: Vice City and its 2006 off-shoot GTA: Vice City Stories – was one of the smallest maps of the series.
The GTA 6 timeline - and the scale of the GTA 6 map
Which once more leads us nicely into our next point: how big will Vice City be? We're unlikely to get anything definitive from a short reveal trailer, but I bet we'll get a sense of just how big the latest setting is. Following in the footsteps of GTA 4's Liberty City, and GTA 5's Los Santos and Blaine County, it's almost certain Vice in this capacity will more closely reflect real-world Miami, which means GTA 6 has bags of room to play with. Another point worth noting is that the original Vice City took place in the mid-80s, aviator shades, pastel-colored suits, neon-lit streets and all. The internet is split on when GTA 6 takes place (I've seen everything from the present day, to at least post-GTA 5, before and after Vice City's mid-'80s timeline, and the 1970s specifically), so the trailer should shed some light on a timeline.
Hints for GTA 6 Online
It seems likely that the next installment, variation or evolution of GTA Online will take place in the same open-world sprawl as the base game's story mode, which means getting a glimpse of Vice City proper might let us glean something about GTA Online 2.0. That might be fleeting shots of potentially-purchasable businesses, properties, garages, airstrips – who knows. The OG Vice City's Malibu Club was a hot spot for both hedonism and crime, so something in the vein of GTA Online's After Hours nightclub update is definitely possible if not likely.
Returning GTA 5 and GTA Online characters
Over the last several weeks, two of GTA 5's central protagonists have sent the rumor mill spinning via leading social media posts. First up, Shawn Foteno – the actor who plays Franklin Clinton – tweeted out of the blue, saying "If I told y'all I'd get in trouble." The tweet was quickly deleted leaving would-be players curious as to what he meant. Moreover, earlier this month, Ned Luke – the actor who plays Michael De Santa – replied to a fan's question about whether Michael would return in GTA 6 with: "It's a mystery," alongside five star emojis. Make of all of this what you will, but are we on the cusp of a Marvel-esque Grand Theft Auto multiverse? Probably not, but Franklin and Michael might be due a city break in Vice.
More GTA 6 rumors
Listen, I'm looking forward to seeing GTA 6 in actual motion as much as the next person, but it's worth remembering that reveal trailers of this stature are rarely longer than two minutes long. Designed to showcase story, characters, setting, action and more, we'll inevitably be left with more questions than answers between the trailer and whenever Rockstar decides to start drip-feeding tangible info thereafter. Expect the world to pore over every nook and cranny and potentially leading tidbit of the trailer, adding fuel to the rumor mill's fire between now and whenever GTA 6 actually lands.
You should totally check out these 10 games like GTA you need to play while waiting for GTA 6
