The day Grand Theft Auto VI is released will feel like 28 days later. The streets will be a ghost town, workplaces will be full of empty chairs, and schools (sorry PEGI, but let’s be real) will have so many absences that teachers will start to worry that there might be some kind of infectious disease that they didn’t have. realize.
After all, when you’re talking about a series whose latest game currently has a whopping 205 million copies sold worldwide, the question isn’t whether the sixth entry will be a huge hit, but how huge that hit will be. .
There are very few certainties in life, but the fact that GTA 6 is the biggest media release of 2025 is as close to certain as you can get. That’s what we do know, but it’s what we don’t know that could determine whether the game will live up to its astronomical expectations.
It is already known that this time we are dealing with two protagonists, including the first playable female protagonist since 2000 (not the first, as some claim). Lucia and her partner, whose name is not yet known at the time of writing, although previous leaks suggest it is Jason, appear to be the conventional 21st century version of Bonnie and Clyde, as they carve a path of crime through Leonida ( based in Florida), including Vice City as part of this.
However, the plot has only been one component of GTA’s success, and while we imagine it will be strong enough again, it’s the series’ reputation for satire that’s less certain this time around. A lot has changed in the 12 years between GTA 5 and GTA 6: this is a world that will be in its second Trump presidency, a world where the rampant toxicity of social media, accusations of “fake news”, anti- -‘woke’ and the deep ones Fake technology is an everyday occurrence for many people.
In the past, GTA needed a few funny billboards, fake radio ads, and a satirical radio station or two to be considered the vanguard of social commentary in a video game, but that strategy may seem archaic if replicated this time around. around.
Can Rockstar’s writers somehow figure out how to poke fun at the powerful and pitiful in today’s society in a way that feels fresh? It’s certainly not deciding to back down from the challenge – the game‘s first trailer includes numerous Easter eggs poking fun at the likes of Fox News, antidepressants and all things Florida – so it’s clear that the sense of humor will remain intact. , however. successful it ends up being.
The other complete unknown is what the inevitable online component of the game will look like and how it will differ from the current GTA Online. Will it replace it completely? Will players be able to copy everything they gained in the GTA 5 version or will they have to start over? Will solo players be able to enjoy themselves more without having to interact with others online?
The only certainty (aside from the ridiculous sales success of GTA 6, of course) is that GTA Online will still be there, and in the long term too: one analyst cited by the Wall Street Journal suggested that, a decade later, GTA Online was still winning around $500 million (yes, with a B) in the 12 months between the summer of 2022 and 2023.
