Rockstar’s first extended look at gameplay for Grand Theft Auto VI aired exclusively on Netflix this afternoon, giving subscribers the first glance at moment-to-moment action as well as plenty of story cinematics. If you don’t have a Netflix subscription and can’t wait until the footage is uploaded to Rockstar’s YouTube channel at 9 p.m. ET tonight, here’s a summary of what this extended look had to offer.
Instead of presenting this footage, which Rockstar billed as being captured on PlayStation 5, as a guided trailer breaking down Grand Theft Auto VI’s gameplay, the video is essentially a very long trailer featuring a montage of different story missions and open-world moments. The presentation largely focuses on the various criminal jobs undertaken by dual protagonists and romantic couple Jason and Lucia. You can switch between controlling both characters, and the first mission shown depicts the pair visiting an apartment building to pick up goods from a drug dealer on behalf of music mogul and entrepreneur Boobie Ike. This deal goes sour as someone close to the operation betrays them to the police, triggering a massive shootout with the invading officers. This sequence shows some of GTA VI’s gunplay, with Jason blasting through targets using firearms such as an assault rifle and shotgun from behind cover as the AI-controlled Lucia provides covering fire.
Another segment shows Lucia and Jason at home getting dolled up for a meeting, giving us a glimpse at smaller interactions such as choosing beers, prompting Lucia to hurry up, while the living room TV plays humorous commercials such as a parody of Arby’s. Once they depart, Jason and Lucia meet their boss and primary mission giver, Brian Heder, and his wife, Lori, on a rooftop bar to discuss taking on a new job. Footage of the pair driving to this meeting provides an in-game look at the contemporary Vice City setting, which, speaking as a lifelong Floridian who has visited Miami many times, looks spot-on; I especially enjoyed seeing Rockstar recreate Miami’s congested, twisting highway roads that weave around high-rise apartments and other buildings. The UI is minimal, but similar to previous GTA games, though the mini-map appears to render buildings as 3D models.
The next mission sees Jason and Lucia serve as a getaway driver for career bank robber Raul Bautista. This appears to be the pair’s first meeting with Bautista, who barks orders from the backseat as Lucia, behind the wheel, must flee incoming cop cars. Bautista orders Jason to the backseat with him, showing off a sequence with Jason using an assault rifle to pepper police cars and helicopters with bullets (with a 4-star wanted rating visible on screen). Police cars flip over and careen into buildings thanks to Jason’s sharpshooting, and the chaotic chase ends when the pair lose the heat long enough to switch vehicles. Lucia torches their original car using a Molotov selected from a weapon wheel to eliminate any evidence. Once the three reach their destination in their new, more inconspicuous van, Batista pays the two, seemingly kicking off the first of what will likely be a long working relationship between the three.
The final mission shown sees Jason and Lucia hired as security for a wealthy and enthusiastic mogul named Andrés. He’s arrived in Vice City to attend the lavish opening of the first American headquarters for a Spanish-language media company called Megamundo (likely GTA VI’s version of the real-world Miami-based network Telemundo). As Andrés retreats to a “private business meeting” upstairs, Lucia is posted at the event itself. The scene cuts to Jason heading up to retrieve Andrés for a speech, only to find him doing drugs with his friends and refusing to come down. In a scene reminiscent of Die Hard, armed goons suddenly storm the skyscraper, taking hostages and looking for money. Lucia and Jason, separated by several floors, engage in various fights to protect their client and themselves. A gunfight in this section shows off a slow-motion feature for gunplay, though it’s unclear if this is a cinematic or gameplay feature.
Between these major segments, Rockstar showed off clips of various open-world activities. These include fishing, kayaking, base jumping, scuba diving, jetskiing, airboating, and even backyard wrestling. We also saw clips of various types of racing, such as dirt bike, nighttime street racing, and even stock car challenges). The video also highlighted silly moments. At one point, Lucia unknowingly steals a car with an influencer in the trunk. Turns out he’s livestreaming a “lock yourself in a trunk” challenge, and the following police chase sees him broadcasting the entire chase, complete with a live chat on screen.
Grand Theft Auto VI looks unsurprisingly wild and impressive in this footage, though it remains to be seen what new features it brings to the table just yet. Rockstar has yet to plainly detail the game’s features, leaving it up to fans to inspect its footage to point out mechanics or postulate the broader implications of any given scene. Unless Rockstar plans to do this in the next few weeks, fans may have to find out for themselves when Grand Theft Auto VI launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on November 19. You can learn more about today’s trailer in this separate feature where we identify every potential side activity shown in the footage.