Fans worldwide erupted with excitement as Rockstar Games unveiled the inaugural trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, marking the arrival of the most eagerly awaited game of the decade.
The first look at the next installment in the blockbuster series follows years of feverish speculation about the setting, characters and atmosphere of GTA VI.
The trailer shows Vice City, in the state of Leonida, in breathtaking detail – a major upgrade from the graphics in GTA V, released 10 years ago.
This is a fictional version of Miami, Florida, where the 2002 hit Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was based.
Set to "Love Is a Long Road" by Tom Petty, the video contains all that people across the globe have come to love – or hate – about GTA: high-octane chases in fast cars, a vast open world rendered in rich detail, scantily clad women and numerous references poking fun at social media culture.
Sam Houser, Rockstar's founder, said GTA VI "continues our efforts to push the limits of what's possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences."
For the first time, a GTA game will feature a woman as one of the protagonists. In the front and center of the trailer are Lucia, who is introduced at what appears to be a prison in an orange inmate jumpsuit.
She is later shown partnering with a man – unnamed in the trailer but referred to as Jason in media reports based on content leaked by hackers last year.
The duo are seen breaking into stores wearing masks and racing away in their car from pursuers. One user on Reddit commented: "Major Bonnie and Clyde vibes."
The introduction of Lucia follows decades of criticism against Rockstar over its depiction of women in its games, in particular, the lack of agency and the violence and denigration they suffer.
If gamers were thrilled by what they saw of GTA VI, they were left slightly frustrated by the release date revealed at the end of the trailer: 2025.
The game will be released on Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, Rockstar said.
It did not mention a PC version.
There appeared to be near-universal praise from fans on social media and the trailer swiftly became one of the hottest topics online.
"Gave me goosebumps," commented @sachinbhujel909 on YouTube. "We (have) all been waiting for a good part of our life ... RIP to the ones who never made it to see this."
In just six hours, the trailer racked up more than 36 million views on YouTube.
It led to speculation that it might challenge for the record number of views in the first 24 hours – reportedly more than 100 million for the "Butter" music video by K-pop superstars BTS.
GTA VI and related topics became the top trends worldwide on X, formerly Twitter, soon after the trailer was released, inspiring a flood of memes.
Some joked about the fate of the leaker, speculating about how Rockstar – a famously secretive company – will punish them.
X user @vidsthatgohard shared an image of an explosion at a house, with the caption: "NOOOOO they got the GTA leaker."
Others poked fun at how long they will have to wait to play the game, including some who posted videos of people switching to a healthier lifestyle to survive until 2025.
Rockstar had announced that the trailer would be released at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
But someone leaked the video nearly a day earlier on X. The account was suspended swiftly, but the leak forced the company to share the trailer ahead of schedule.
