There are few games that could command the same level of anticipation that surrounds Grand Theft Auto 6.
More than a decade has passed since Grand Theft Auto 5 arrived in 2013, and after several delays, Rockstar Games is finally preparing to release its successor. The first extended look at gameplay, which premiered on Netflix on Thursday, suggests much of that waiting could be rewarded.
The immediate impression is one of scale. GTA has always sold the fantasy of disappearing into another world for hours at a time, and GTA 6 looks determined to take that idea further than anything Rockstar has tried before.
Its fictional state of Leonida is based on Florida, with Vice City once again serving as the series' exaggerated take on Miami. Beaches, highways, nightclubs, swamps and densely packed city streets appear alongside quieter communities further from the centre.
The variety is striking. Within the footage, players move from armed robberies and police pursuits to nightlife, parties and the everyday distractions that have long made GTA worlds enjoyable outside their main campaigns.
At one moment, the game resembles a crime thriller built around a bank heist. At another, it shows the opening of a nightclub or simply invites the player to exist in the city.
More impressive is the detail connecting those extremes. Crowds appear more dense, interiors more elaborate, and streets busier than in previous games. Seemingly minor background elements have been given the kind of attention that would once have been reserved for major locations.
Rockstar's worlds have traditionally rewarded players for wandering away from their objectives, but Leonida already appears designed around the idea that practically every corner should offer something worth looking at.
Whether that survives prolonged play remains to be seen, but as a first impression, it is difficult to think of another open-world game operating on this scale.
The two playable leads also appear to be capable of giving the story a strong contrast.
Jason Duval is the more reserved of the pair. Rockstar describes him as a former soldier who later found work with drug runners in the Keys.
Lucia Caminos, meanwhile, enters the story after serving time in Leonida Penitentiary and appears significantly more energetic and impulsive.
That difference is evident in the gameplay footage. Jason feels stoic and controlled, while Lucia comes across as more gung-ho, aggressive and willing to get herself into trouble.
Their relationship should give Rockstar plenty to work with. GTA 5's three-protagonist structure allowed its campaign to switch between very different personalities, but Jason and Lucia appear more closely intertwined. Their reliance on one another is central to Rockstar's description of the story, which begins after an apparently straightforward job goes wrong, leaving them caught up in a wider criminal conspiracy.
The question is how much time Rockstar intends to give that story.
According to HowLongToBeat, Grand Theft Auto 5 takes about 31.5 hours to finish when concentrating on its main objectives. Grand Theft Auto 4 comes in at about 27.5 hours, while San Andreas is also around the 31-hour mark.
There has been no indication yet of Grand Theft Auto 6's campaign length. Given the apparent size of Leonida, however, it would be surprising if Rockstar had built such an enormous environment without giving players substantial reason to explore it.
There is also reason to keep expectations under control. No game could realistically satisfy every demand placed on GTA 6 after such a lengthy development cycle. The longer audiences have waited, the more expectations have grown around what the game is supposed to achieve, from redefining open worlds to raising the bar for graphics, storytelling and interactivity.
That scrutiny has already created problems for Rockstar.
During the week leading up to the reveal, unauthorised gameplay videos began appearing online, including footage featuring Jason and Lucia. Rockstar responded on Wednesday, describing the leaks as “heartbreaking for our team” and saying this was “obviously not how we intended for you to see the game after all this time”.
The developer also apologised for the length of the wait and said the game was “nearly there”, while repeating that it would be released in November.
After all the delays and uncertainty, that date finally feels tangible.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to be launched on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
There remains one significant sticking point: how players will actually own it.
Rockstar is selling what it calls a physical edition, but there will be no game disc inside the box. Instead, buyers receive a download code for the digital version.
For a release this significant, and one carrying a standard-edition price of $79.99 through Rockstar's store, this is disappointing. A physical copy traditionally gives players something they can preserve, lend, sell or return to years later without depending entirely on a digital shop and account infrastructure.
A code in a plastic box does not offer the same thing. For all the extraordinary technology displayed in the gameplay reveal, the absence of a disc feels like a backwards step in consumer ownership.
That frustration aside, what Rockstar showed is difficult to dismiss. Leonida looks enormous, Jason and Lucia already feel distinct, and the sheer density of the world suggests there will be plenty to do.
After years of speculation, leaks and delays, Grand Theft Auto 6 finally looks less like a distant promise and more like a game that is almost within reach. On November 19, players will find out whether it can possibly live up to everything expected of it.
