Rumours of a sequel to GTA V have been circulating for over a decade and it’s finally been confirmed by Rockstar Games that a trailer for GTA VI will be released in early December 2023. It’s worth remembering that 2013’s GTA V (for consoles) is one of the most successful video games ever, generating over $800 million within 24 hours of its release. In 2015 the game was made available for PC and since I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about, I acquired the game on Steam, not having a clue what I was getting myself into, and wrote a review Game Review – Grand Theft Auto V for PC and a later A Second Look at GTA V (Grand Theft Auto 5) where I go into more gory details.
Will GTA VI Bow Down To The Politically Correct Mob?
As I recounted in my 2015 articles cited above, Rockstar has never been afraid to satirise our society and violence has always been a hallmark of the GTA series. Running over pedestrians, police officers, and driving like a crack-head have always been part and parcel of the Grand Theft Auto experience. Having said all that and bearing in mind that these are ‘just video games’, as I get older my tolerance for gratuitous in-game pedestrian carnage has diminished considerably, especially violence against motorcyclists. GTA V was an eye opener and my playtime with that game is over 175 hours (where did I find all that time?) with activities such as strip clubs, bank heists, races on land, sea, and air, and countless other fun escapades even including hijacking fighter jets and Jumbo 747s.
But that was 2013/15 and we now live in a world of the easily offended; a society where certain people will actively look for the minutiae to be offended/disgusted about, rendering the field as shark-infested waters. However, Rockstar has always pushed the envelope in this series, and ‘edgy’ is a key element. For example, in Red Dead Redemption II (Rockstar Games) you can shoot a racist without any apparent penalty, which could be taken as a barbed bow to the woke mob. Parody and satire help us to not take ourselves too seriously and if others find both those aspects to be offensive, then so be it. It’s a known fact that if a product is boycotted, for whatever reason, or even banned, the desire to own that product will grow exponentially. Lady Chatterley’s Lover is just one example.
Where Will The Game Take Place?
Recent leaks of GTA VI gameplay appear to show the game taking place in Vice City, a parody of Miami, which was the setting for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City of 2002. I might add that the above montage is not a leaked picture, but screenshots of the 2002 game. Rockstar has come down very hard on the distribution of the leaked pictures and videos and any sign of them has all but disappeared from the Internet.
But massive speculation remains, even with talk of a Bonnie and Clyde scenario, which would be an interesting development because historically, GTA games have always featured male protagonists, perhaps because men are typically more violent than women. I could rant on about more speculation, but I’d rather fasten my seatbelt and wait for ‘early December’, or whatever date Rockstar deems suitable for unleashing the eighteenth GTA installment upon us. One thing is for sure though – we won’t see the actual game until ‘sometime’ next year.
And one more thing – millions will be upset that their particular worldview is not being catered for in GTA VI. You can take that to the bank!
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The last GTA introduced multiple characters so have always wondered if we’d get a female character playable. Maybe someone rising up in the world. Would be interesting to see a female take on a gangster character
I agree, Peter.
There is talk of a Bonnie and Clyde type scenario.