It’s a massive night for Grand Theft Auto 6 fans as the game’s Extended Look has premiered on Netflix – six hours ahead of its wider release at 2am BST tomorrow morning (August 28). GTA6, which is said to be more grounded and realistic than previous entries in the series, doesn’t drop until November 19, so this is a pivotal moment in the action-adventure game’s hugely hyped rollout.
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Here are five major takeaways from the 26-minute special, which sees Rockstar take control of the narrative surrounding the feverishly anticipated game after a frustrating series of gameplay leaks. Overall, the Extended Look is a little heavier on gameplay razzle-dazzle than concrete narrative revelations, but there’s still a few surprises to chew over.
It’s a couple’s story if you want it to be
As we already knew, GTA6 has dual protagonists: Jason Duval, a one-time military drug runner, and Lucia Caminos, a fighter who’s fresh out the slammer. You can either choose to play as a couple or switch between the two protagonists as and when you like, a nifty feature that the Extended Look highlights.
If you go down the couple route, there’s clearly a lot of rapport to explore. The Extended Look includes a cute look at Jason and Lucia’s domestic life in a Vice City apartment with a lot of hot pink furnishings. She even asks him to pick out the dress she should wear before they head out for cocktails at a rooftop bar called… wait for it… Effluvia. In the 13 years since Grand Theft Auto 5, the series clearly hasn’t lost its penchant for snort-inducing base humour.
Plus, if you look closely at the TV in Jason and Lucia’s pad, you’ll see an advert for a fast food meal containing an artery-clogging 30,000 calories. Never change, GTA.
The action is as splashy as ever
The Extended Look offers a deft balance between exhilarating GTA trademarks – a shoot-em-up in a drug den, a white-knuckle police car chase – and footage that feels more particular to the new protagonists. This is our first proper rendezvous with Jason and Lucia, but already they seem like a duo who’d do a great job of robbing a jewellery store, which we see them doing briefly in a montage sequence.
But even when they’re out on a mission, Jason has time to bend down and pet a dog – a neat detail that highlights the fact GTA has raised its game when it comes to the little things.
It really does look stunning
Yes, you probably knew this already, unless you’ve fully managed to avoid the unfortunate recent leaks. But across 26 minutes of non-stop in-game footage – by far the best look at GTA6 we’ve had – the effect is frequently breathtaking. There are panoramic views of Vice City, a dazzling glimpse at the Grassrivers wetlands modelled on Florida’s famous Everglades – and a pretty realistic strip club scene. Naturally, because this is Vice City, no one present is twerking in an apologetic kind of way.
The attention to detail is pretty damn impressive, too. When Lucia hits the gym, you can see her brow furrow in concentration as she shows off her impeccable bench press technique. It’s previously been revealed that exercise has a beneficial effect on the protagonists, so be glad that she’s an accomplished gym bunny.
The soundtrack absolutely slaps
Given that GTA6 is widely believed to be the most expensive video game ever made, with the rumoured budget comfortably exceeding $1billion, Rockstar were never going to skimp on sync fees. The Extended Look features no fewer than a dozen tried and tested bangers with a particular emphasis on classic rock. Cliff Richard soundtracking a high-speed car chase? Only in Vice City.
Here’s every song featured in the Extended Look:
‘Pop Bottles’ – Birdman, Lil Wayne
‘Pound Town’ – Sexyy Red, Tay Keith
‘Skrilla’ – Kodak Black
‘Let Your Love Flow’ – The Bellamy Brothers
‘Love Bites’ – Def Leppard
‘People Are People’ – Depeche Mode
‘But I Think It’s A Dream’ – Captain & Tennille
‘Cars And Girls’ – Prefab Sprout
‘Devil Woman’ – Cliff Richard
‘Se Me Nota (Agárrame)’ – Chimbala, Omega
‘Against All Odds’ (Take A Look At Me Now)’ – Phil Collins
‘Inner Light’ – Elderbrook, Bob Moses
It ends on a surprisingly wistful note
Over a misty-eyed montage of good times on a fishing boat, in a recording studio and propping up a dive bar, a brotherly-sounding voiceover intones: “Might not feel like it, but these are your glory days, the salad years, you know. Nothing is gonna beat who you are now. You can’t see all the fucked up shit that’s looming on the horizon. Enjoy this, dude. If this right now was all that there is, all the time, it would be perfect. Trust me.”
A tad sentimental? Maybe, but it also subtly signposts that GTA6 is more than just another game in the series. It’s a pop culture event, a life-affirming experience, and quite possibly an unlikely recruitment tool for the US Army. Bring on November 19 when we’ll see everything that this Extended Look so cleverly teases.
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