All The Latest GTA 6 Updates: Gameplay, Miami Heat Collab, Ads Invade South Beach

With less than a month to go before the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, gamers are already starting to feel nostalgic. For years, they have commiserated with fellow fans of Rockstar’s most iconic franchise as they waited for any sliver of information about GTA 6. They spent unspeakable amounts of money on GTA 5 Online, created mods that let you wear Air Jordans, and participated in role-playing servers to live the life of a digital citizen who will definitely not get beat up or run over by some miscreant who’s trying to avoid a four-star wanted level.

But now that Grand Theft Auto 6 is near and the flow of information has only made the anticipation even more fervent, there is a sense of finality that once the game is out, nothing will ever be the same. For starters, they won’t be able to pour one out for the homies anymore who did not live to see this day and they won’t be able to make “____ dropped before GTA VI” joke anymore. Now they’ll have to do it with GTA 7, which is definitely a real thing that will absolutely happen before the turn of the century.

Before the world waits for GTA 7, they will have GTA 6 to keep them company for years and decades to come. Despite doing this with the frequency of a Jerry Lorenzo collab, Rockstar are masters of the rollout, spreading out the information through different mediums like an Air Jordan retro general release before Elliott Hill put a stop to that. Every new tidbit comes from a different outlet that’s a mixture of the usual suspects and some that we did not even know existed. And despite one particularly notable hiccup, they just keep getting people more hyped.

As we approach the final stretch run before the game’s release, here is everything we’ve learned about Grand Theft Auto 6 since the Netflix Extended Look and the larger cross-media rollout.

The Announcement

After years of waiting and trailers that date back to before the New York Knicks were NBA champions, Rockstar finally gave us a definitive street date of November 19. The game will release digitally on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and X at $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition that features exclusive missions, gear, and storefronts. Despite rumors and wishcasting that have no basis in reality, there will be no physical disc version at launch. The closest people will get to a physical release is a PS5 boxed version with a download code that will be sold in stores.

The “Last” Trailer

Despite releasing two trailers and a Netflix-exclusive Extended Look that lasts about half the length of an episode of Love Is Blind, Rockstar dropped the “Launch Trailer” a little over a month before the game’s release. In what should be the final piece of in-game content we see straight from the source before November 19, we get one of the new original tracks made for the game, a steamy shower scene between Jason and Lucia, and a peek at some of the wild missions that you will take on during the 80 hours that it should take to complete the mainline story with some side quests thrown in.

The Gameplay

Even though the first two trailers gave us a look into the world that we will be inhabiting for hundreds of hours, we did not get actual gameplay with a visible user interface until the Netflix special. From there, the internet was able to do what they do best, and that is dissect every frame for minute details that seem like the biggest deal in the world today but actually do nothing to affect our enjoyment when the game actually drops. Along with all of these countless pieces of content was Rockstar talking to the outlets that they wanted and doling out gameplay details that we will not be able to truly comprehend and give context to until we actually have the game in hand.

Here’s a list of big (and small) things we can expect in GTA 6 (takes deep breath):

• Jason and Lucia’s romance will only go as far as you take it. While the game will start with a nudge in that direction, it’s entirely up to you how the relationship evolves or doesn’t throughout the mainline story mode. Spending time together outside of story missions will be critical, as you maintain a connection through shopping, working out, responding to text messages, committing crimes together, and other things normal couples do. You can also choose to ignore these possibilities and just keep them as partners of convenience
• There appears to be a military tilt towards Jason’s past, as the trailers have shown him wearing tactical gear and looking quite at home, as Lucia does the same
• Story progression will be locked off if your duo has not earned enough money through mainline and side missions
• Patience and speed will determine how much money you make, as rushing through a job might leave money on the literal table, but taking your time will increase the chances of law enforcement catching you
• This also applies to story missions, as taking too long to complete a job could invite police to eventually show up and make life more difficult
• Detailed satellite-style imagery for the large sprawling maps (more than double the size of GTA 5 and three times the playable area in Red Dead Redemption 2) is replacing the classic animated look because everything is denser than ever before, making city getaways even more tense
• Safehouses are more akin to Red Dead 2, as there can be other inhabitants while Jason and Lucia have their own individual belongings, including gear, cars, and a weapons locker
• Trailers have shown Jason and Lucia in different types of safehouses, from seedy motels to typical Florida homes to high-rise apartments, that will likely also tie in to money in their bank account/stash
• Just like in Red Dead 2, players will have to be more cautious with guns they bring, as there will be limits to how much they carry at any one time
• GTA 6 has a Criminal Profile system that can color how NPCs treat or fear you and how the main story will evolve
• One way that your Profile could change is how you take down enemies, as you can have options to handle them with non-lethal options like shooting arms or legs or knocking a gun out of their hands
• You can also affect your Profile by simply being a normal person and picking up trash after you’re done eating or drinking
• Focus mode that slows down time to help aim your shot is not dissimilar to Red Dead’s Dead Eye mode, but now you have a choice of whether to take down enemies lethally or not
• Bringing it back to GTA San Andreas, Jason and Lucia’s look will change depending on how much or how little you work out or eat, with each having a side benefit
• Most activities can be done as a tandem, as Jason or Lucia can message each other to join in on the fun
• A sampling of revealed activities that can affect your fitness and relationship include Basketball, Pool, Mini-golf, Gym workouts, Boxing, Hunting, Fishing, Kayaking, Scuba diving, Parachuting, BASE jumping, Street racing, Off-road racing, Sea racing, Shooting ranges, Zoo visits, Airboating and jet skiing, Nightclubs, Dancing, and Drinking
• Snapmatic, GTA’s Instagram knock-off, returns, but with Jason and Lucia both on the run; it’ll be used mostly for lurking and scoping out info
• GTA 6 will have over 170 unique species of animals that you can add to a bestiary
• Random events that are not marked on the maps, like NPCs fighting you or taking you through side quests, can occur, especially if they notice you eavesdropping on their conversations or following them for an unusual amount of time
• The six-star wanted level is back after GTA 5 went to five stars
• White wanted stars that are hollowed out mean that while the police will be looking for someone, they will not know to look for you unless you cause more problems in plain sight
• Law enforcement are a lot smarter this time (they even use info they gather from CCTVs) as they hang around the area where a crime was committed. They can track down Jason and/or Lucia based on their appearance (wearing a mask has never been more critical), outfits, and cars, which means abandoning a precious vehicle or bringing a change of clothes in the car’s trunk is critical to survival
• Jason and Lucia can split up so that the police only chase one or the other, but it only takes one of them to be caught for the “Busted” sign to appear
• Stealing parked cars is no longer as easy as pressing Triangle (or Y), as higher-value vehicles will require a little more work, like owning a key cloning tool to unlock them, while their resale value will depend on the condition when you bring them to a fence (the person or business who will pay you for your stolen wares like cars and jewelry)
• There is also strategy involved in picking which car to steal, as some expensive cars might have trackers that make them less worthwhile to attempt a boost
• When doing a tandem boost, Jason and Lucia can switch between who drives and who rides shotgun and shoots at police or enemies when necessary
• Driving cars has been reworked to give them more variety in how they handle
• The scope of GTA 6 and the number of teams that worked on different parts of Leonida was so large that there might be details and Easter Eggs that will not be discovered for years
• NPCs were a large focus for Rockstar’s development cycle and actually caused the first major delay, as they wanted them to be more dynamic than ever before, leading their own lives as much as possible as Jason and Lucia get their Bonnie and Clyde on in Leonida
• In an effort to maintain the Florida vibes, the weather will be dynamic and unpredictable, as cyclones, storms, and hurricanes can wreak havoc on one part of the map while the opposite end is perfectly pristine, save for the humidity
• You can pet or scold dogs, much to the delight of most people and the annoyance of some gamers who don’t understand the concept of fun

The Cast

Rockstar has yet to reveal the voice cast for Grand Theft Auto 6. It seems like the lesson they learned from casting A-list celebrities like the late Ray Liotta for Tommy Vercetti in GTA: Vice City and Samuel L. Jackson for GTA: San Andreas during the PlayStation 2 era is that the bigger names can sometimes take players out of the moment, and immersion is lost when they can recognize the voice and the face doesn’t match. That, and their busier schedules, prevent them from being in the studio for additional sessions when necessary. Starting with San Andreas, the main characters have been played by lesser-known actors or rising stars that have a little bit more free time to get in the studio and also do motion capture, while celebrity voices like Katt Williams in GTA IV and Dr. Dre in GTA Online handle cameo duties.

Through some very detailed sleuthing that would make Pepe Silvia proud, the internet is convinced they have found Jason and Lucia. We’ll wait until Rockstar or the actors themselves confirm their roles in the biggest game of the year/millenium. Meanwhile, only one actor has confirmed their involvement in the game, and that’s Stephen Root, who will voice drug runner Brain Heder. Anybody who’s familiar with Root’s work on shows like Barry and Newsradio and in the cult classic comedy Office Space would have recognized his iconic gravely voice anyway, but it is great that he confirmed his involvement.

The Music

Licensed music soundtracks in video games can make or break the vibes with one track. For Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, it was the Flock of Seagulls 80s hit “I Ran.” Grand Theft Auto IV featured “Flashing Lights” by Kanye West right as he was ascending to stadium status. The 13-year gap between GTA 5 and 6 means there’s a lot of music that Rockstar can choose to cover, and it might be a minute before we find that one song that really nails the city and story’s tone. An early leader in the clubhouse is the closing song from the Netflix Extended Look, “Inner Light” by Elderbrook and Bob Moses. Part of it is the track playing alongside melancholy scenes from the game and a monologue from Cal Hampton about these days with Jason and Lucia being the best time of their lives. Younger GTA fans are already calling their shot and saying they’ll be looking back at this moment with a similar rose-colored lens.

The radio stations that populate GTA’s airwaves help bring life to the city they inhabit. With Leonidas being Rockstar’s placeholder for Florida, the stations that have been revealed so far are shaping up to be a fair representation of the state’s diverse population and taste in music. From Cocoteo FM covering modern Latin music with Bad Bunny set to host to Dirty South Classics hosted by Trick (Daddy) and Trina (The Baddest ____) to the appropriately titled Back Country Radio, the something for everyone approach will probably work out well for Rockstar for this go-around.

Here are the confirmed radio stations along with the artists and songs featured so far.

Cocoten FM (Modern Latin hosted by El Martillo and La Gata)

• “Si Es Trucho Es Trucho (Remix)” by Axel Rulay featuring Farruko and El Alfa
• “EoO” by Bad Bunny
• “Macacoa 2000” by Rauw Alejandro
• “Suzuki” by Fuerza Regida
• “Canalla” by Romeo Santos and El Chaval de La Bachata

Back Country Radio (Country hosted by MW and Delta Dawne)

• “Need a Little Time Off for Bad Behavior” by David Allan Coe
• “Bright Light, Big City” by Keith Richards
• “Last Thing You Need” by Morgan Wallen
• “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind)” by Loretta Lynn
• “The Conversation” by Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr.

Afro Bank FM (African Music by Burna and Palmsy)

• “Joha” by Asake
• “Shay’sana” by DJ Lag and Robot Boii featuring Kamo Mphela
• “Gye Wani” by Pat Thomas featuring Ebo Taylor

The Chamber 106.6 (Metal hosted by DJ Kerry and DJ Tom)

• “I” by Black Sabbath
• “I’m Broken” by Pantera
• “Raining Blood” by Slayer

Flash FM (Pop featuring Robyn and Alex Consani)

• “Good Ones” by Charli XCX
• “Electric Feel” by MGMT
• “Midnight Sun (Girls Trip)” by Zara Larsson and Pink Pantherss

Dirty South Classics (Late 90s and Early 2000s Southern Rap hosted by Trick Daddy and Trina)

• “Pop Bottles” by Birdman featuring Lil’ Wayne
• “Like a Pimp” by David Banner featuring Lil’ Flip
• “Born N Raised” by DJ Khaled featuring Trick Daddy, Rick Ross and Pitbull
• “Who Dat” by JT Money featuring Solé

Songs That Were Featured In The Trailers

• “Love is a Long Road” by Tom Petty (Trailer 1)
• “Hot Together” by The Pointer Sisters (Trailer 2)
• “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” by Wan Cheung (Trailer 2)
• “Child Support” by Zenglen (Trailer 2)
• “Talkin’ To Myself Again” by Tammy Wynette (Trailer 2)
• “Pound Town” by Sexxy Red and Tay Keith (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Skrilla” by Kodak Black (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Let Your Love” by The Bellamy Brothers (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Love Bites” by Def Leppard (Netflix Extended Look)
• “People Are People” by Depeche Mode (Netflix Extended Look)
• “But I Think It’s A Dream” by Captain and Tenille (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Cars and Girls” by Prefab Sprout (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Off The Grid” by !!! featuring Meah Pace (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Devil Woman” by Cliff Richard (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Se Me Nota (Agarrame)” by Chimbala and Omega (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” by Phil Collins (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Mine O’ Mine” by Aluna and Jayda G (Netflix Extended Look)
• “Flower In A Hurricane” by Justice featuring Tame Impala, SZA, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Launch Trailer)

Rockstar is also releasing Grand Theft Auto 6: The Album on November 20 in a variety of formats like Vinyl, CD, and everybody’s favorite, Limited Edition Vinyl that’s already sold out. What makes this soundtrack unique in comparison to previous GTA albums and compilations is that all 34 tracks are original to the game, although Keith Richards’ “Bright Lights, Big City” is a cover of the Jimmy Reed blues classic. With Rockstar and Atlantic Records only releasing a partial tracklist, here are the remaining tracks that have yet to be associated with a radio station.

• “RHYNO” by Travis Scott
• “Sexy Magic” by CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress and Fred again..
• “Suzuki” by Fuerza Regida
• “Don’t Chart” by Cardi B
• “Flower in a Hurricane” by Justice and Tame Impala, SZA, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard)

The Collabs

One of the hallmarks of Grand Theft Auto is its sendups of popular brands. From straight-up parodies to more subtle jabs at the corporations and labels we have a totally healthy relationship with, Rockstar is not afraid to tip-toe close to the line without actually crossing it. But they have also shown that they are not afraid to team up with brands for games that make sense. The unintentionally funny Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition featured real car manufacturers, and the shockingly detailed athletes in Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis wore branded gear from Killerspin, adidas, Joola, Butterfly, and Yasaka, and even featured ad banners on the sidelines of matches.

Grand Theft Auto 6 will follow in the tradition of previous titles and forgo any official in-game brand partnerships, which was to be expected. The sentiment was also confirmed by Take-Two CEO and WWE 2K26 playable character Strauss Zelnick. However, Rockstar will be teaming up with a lot of real-world brands for activations and collaborations outside of the game.

• The Miami Heat will rebrand as Vice City on November 18, the night before GTA 6’s release, with a special one-night-only uniform (possibly a modified version of the Heat's iconic Vice uniforms), custom court, and exclusive merch that definitely will not become collector’s items that will resell for a lot of money on the secondary market.

• Burger Shot, the famous fast food franchise that has appeared in almost every GTA title since Vice City, has already opened up shop inside the Kaseya Center, home of the Heat. Skinny Louie, the restaurant partnering with Rockstar, has also announced they will convert all locations into Burger Shot from November until the end of the year.

• The $400 Goodtime State Collector’s Box will include a variety of merch inspired by the in-game TV show, Macca The Gator. Along with the Rockstar-made items like a Macca figure, Vice City keychain, posters, and stickers, a pair of Oakley Frogskins sunglasses in Vice City colors and a Vice City trucker hat by New Era are included in the package.

• Sony has opened preorders for GTA 6-branded controllers in black and white colorways priced at $84.99, with a day-and-date release alongside the game. The white colorway is sold out, but the black colorway is still available as of this post.

• The city of Miami Beach, which I learned today was different from the city of Miami, approved a $3 million marketing deal with Rockstar that will bring Grand Theft Auto 6 to South Beach. When news of the original pitch made its way online, people started to imagine a neon-soaked downtown where every corner was plastered with GTA 6 branding and that people would be dressed up and acting like some of the more party-ready citizens in the trailers. The measure, which passed with a 4-3 vote and some very public opposition from concerned officials who would rather blame a video game for ills of society instead of being better parents, will actually be rather sedated. GTA 6 branding will not be found on iconic beach spots or on city property, but rather on lawn chairs and umbrellas and other spots that are handled by Boucher Brothers. The hospitality management company is actually being parodied by GTA 6 as the Sol Sisters.
• In-universe ads have started to show up on interactive kiosks throughout Wynwood, including Weazel News, Burger Shot, and the Porsche-adjacent Pfister.

• Wynwood Walls, an outdoor street-art museum, teamed up with Rockstar to bring the Miami art scene to Leonidas with murals on display that are also found in-game at a similarly-themed arts district called Stockyard. The list of featured artists includes Tristan Eaton, Ron English, Queen Andrea, Faile, Leon Keer, 1010, Typoe, Ahol, Denial, D*Face, Sonni, Gons x Audet, AES, Aiko, and Flmingo. Along with the murals, each artist has released a capsule collection featuring their GTA 6 artwork on merch.

• The sleuths over at iGrandTheftAuto have discovered a trio of GTA-themed alcoholic beverage labels in the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s (TTB) public database. The labels Pißwasser, Patriot, and No Mames Vice City match up some of the beer labels and packaging that have been found in the trailers. Tripping Animals Brewing, a brewery based in Doral, appears to be handling the actual production of the real-life beverages.

• Convoys of cars have been spotted in Miami replicating the look and liveries of the cars you'll see in Vice City, like the Cheetah, the Coquette D10, the Tempesta, and the Manana complete with Leonidas license plates.

The Leaks

For the past several weeks, an online collective named Cyberleek has been revealing details about Grand Theft Auto 6 that are not part of the Rockstar marketing plan, throwing gremlins into the situation. They claim to have a fully playable build of the game in their possession that they have been posting bits and pieces of online to the frustration of Rockstar and their parent company Take-Two Interactive. Since then, Cyberleek has portrayed themselves as a crusader for justice and fairness in the video game industry as they demand that Rockstar, among other things, produce a physical disc version of the game and apologize for all of their “wrongdoings.” It should also be noted that Cyberleek has a cryptocoin that they are offering in exchange for more leaks if the market cap hits certain benchmarks. Guess the fight for justice isn't free.

Pro Tip: The game is less than a month away. Don't encourage this. You can wait.

The Future (aka Grand Theft Auto 6 Online)

Despite all of the buzz for the single-player campaign, Rockstar is very aware of where their future lies. While Grand Theft Auto 5 was a day-one smash that broke records and made the company their money back and more almost immediately, nobody could have predicted just how critical the game’s online mode would be for them. With fans pouring in billions of dollars to the game’s fictional Shark Card currency for over a decade, this allowed Rockstar to take their time with both Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 6. Without GTA 5 Online carrying Rockstar through the off-years, Red Dead Redemption 2 would have launched earlier than 2018, with Red Dead 3 either on the way or already available; Grand Theft Auto 6 would already be several years old, having launched at the end of the PS4 and Xbox One era, and GTA 7 is still years away because nobody really knows when this current generation is going to end.

So when will GTA 6’s Online Mode drop? Rockstar is marketing GTA 6 as a purely offline experience for now, but it would not be surprising if Online is hinted at in signage throughout Leonida or in radio stations that tease greater adventures through dynamic ad bumpers in between songs. The only hint that Online is coming within the next 12 months came courtesy of Twitch CEO Dan Clancy. During an interview with Bloomberg, Clancy mentions that they have been in talks with Rockstar and that they expect a huge influx of viewers to the platform upon launch and then a year later for the release of the PC port and the debut of GTA Online.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. His current hot take is that people are really underrating the Psyduck trading card market. Email: juan@soleretriever.com Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky | Threads : @ezyville

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy watching films and discovering music. Follow me on Letterboxd @nickvlah For tips, reviews, or any shoes in a size 13, email nick@soleretriever.com