The wait for GTA 6 will be even longer than expected, with Rockstar Games having announced a delay for the open world crime epic until May of next year, though we do at least have a new trailer to dive into. Grand Theft Auto 6’s newest trailer offers fresh glimpses of the setting, story, characters, gameplay, and more, and here, we’re going to parse through some of the tinier, more minute details
NEAR-PHOTOREALISTIC VISUALS
Let’s start with the basics- GTA 6 looks absolutely gorgeous, which is what you’d expect from a Rockstar title, to the point where it looks outright photorealistic at some point. For instance, take a look at this specific screenshot and the level of detail that it exhibits to give you an idea of just how visually and technically impressive the game is looking.
DRAW DISTANCES
This is something that Rockstar games tend to excel at more often than not, so it’s no surprise to see GTA 6 touting some of the most impressive draw distances we’ve ever seen. Same as the first trailer, the second trailer boasts plenty of shots where you can see far into the distance with an impressive level of fidelity maintained even for distance things and objects.
CLOUDS
Throughout the new GTA 6 trailer, you can also spot plenty of shots of the skybox, which is looking absolutely gorgeous- again, to no one’s surprise. Specifically, plenty of moments throughout the trailer also showcases gorgeous, dynamically forming volumetric clouds.
LIGHTING
Across the entirety of GTA 6’s trailer 2, you can see countless examples of the game’s gorgeous lighting and the massive jump it is making over past Rockstar titles (which were already gorgeous in and of themselves). At one point, for instance, you can see flashing lights from a cop car dynamically and realistically bouncing off of a nearby wall.
GRASS BLADES
A classic example of Rockstar’s well-known propensity for obsessive attention to detail. At various spots in GTA 6’s newest trailer, you can pause and take a closer look at patches of grass to see that each blade of grass has been individually modelled. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this in a game, but it is still the kind of obsessiveness you don’t see from too many other devs.
HAIR PHYSICS
For whatever reason, hair physics are often the benchmark for how visually and technically impressive a game for many- and GTA 6 is passing every test with flying colours in this area. Throughout the trailer, you can see complex animations for different kinds, lengths, and volumes of hair, all of it looking consistently and remarkable realistic.
ANIMAL FUR
Let’s stick with hair for a little longer- or, more accurately, fur. Specifically, if you pay close attention, you’ll be able to spot animal fur getting wet when it comes in contact with water. It’s not groundbreaking or even unprecedented by any means, but it’s a neat detail nonetheless.
MUSCLE DEFORMATION
One of the more minute details you’ll notice in the new GTA 6 trailer is the realistic muscle deformation that you can spot on Jason. Watch him closely as he moves around and you’ll see his muscles moving and animating through the skin in stunningly realistic fashion.
DRIPPING SWEAT
Similarly, you can also spot droplets of sweat dripping down characters’ faces and bodies at various points throughout the trailer. How much this will tie into things such as weather or, say, how much physical energy a character is exerting remains to be seen, but such as the insane level of detail that Rockstar titles are known for.
CAR MIRRORS
One particularly neat detail fans may not have caught in the trailer is the reflections in wing mirrors on cars. Specifically, the reflections look shockingly realistic, touting impressive dynamics and authenticity.
CAR INTERIORS
GTA 6 might be no Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo, but we suspect automobile enthusiasts will find plenty of enjoyment in the game’s gorgeous car interiors. Every shot we’ve seen of the inside of a car so far has touted varied and incredible detailed interiors.
DIRTY CARS
Sticking with GTA 6’s cars for a moment longer, another neat detail – but not entirely an unexpected one – to be spotted in the trailer is that you can visibly see cars getting dirty as they drive around. At various points, cars’ bodies clearly have fresh spots or layers of dirt and dust on them.
TRAFFIC
You expect this to be the case in pretty much every new GTA, and sure enough, Grand Theft Auto 6 is seemingly touting heavily improved traffic density. It was abundantly evident in the first trailer, and is once again in trailer 2, which shows plenty of shots of impressively dense traffic, both in terms of on-foot NPCs milling around and vehicles on the road.
SAND DEFORMATION
You’ll see plenty of beaches throughout your time in Vice City and surrounding regions in the state of Leonida in Grand Theft Auto 6– which means you’ll also be seeing plenty of sand. And the sand, in a word, looks excellent. Sand deformation is what is most impressive here, as you can see in a couple of shots in the game’s newest trailer.
WATER PHYSICS
Just as impressive as the sand deformation are the water physics in the trailer. There’s obviously plenty of water to see in your surroundings in Vice City, and we see plenty of it in the trailer as well. From how gorgeous it looks and how authentically it animates and moves to how it reacts to vehicles moving through and how it dynamically reflects light, GTA 6’s water visuals are looking quite impressive.
MARINE LIFE
Credit: Reddit User khush_7x
Speaking of realistic water, we’ve also seen glimpses of some of GTA 6’s underwater visuals, and they’re looking quite impressive. You can, for instance, spot surprisingly varied and authentic looking marine life at one point. We fully expect to be able to zone out and just keep staring at GTA 6’s underwater environments.
PHONE SCREEN
To give you an idea of the ridiculous level of attention detail Rockstar is pouring into Grand Theft Auto 6, at specific points in the trailer, you can really zoom in on phones in the background to even be able to spot faint hints of the time and app icons being displayed on the screen.
GTA 5 REFERENCE
Credit: Reddit User: Sleep_Holiday
GTA 6’s newest trailer shows co-protagonist Lucia exiting a prison at a specific point, and interestingly enough, the t-shirt she’s wearing in that scene is a GTA 5 reference. Pause and zoom in a little and you’ll clearly spot faded print on the shirt for the rollercoaster named Leviathan found on Del Perro Pier in GTA 5’s Los Santos.
FLIP FLOPS
One shot in GTA 6’s newest trailer showcases an NPC riding a bike, and doing so while wearing flip flops. Interestingly, if you look close, you’ll see the flip flops animating separately and realistically as the NPC pedals the bike.
HOMAGE TO VICE CITY
Rockstar Games appears to be leaning heavily into nostalgia with GTA 6, as there are striking visual homages to the original Vice City cast. Characters bearing a strong resemblance to icons like Tommy Vercetti, Lance Vance, and Ricardo Diaz have been spotted in the trailers, with their outfits, postures, and overall vibes seemingly crafted as deliberate nods to the 2002 classic.
COINS
Moving on from cash bills to coin- because there’s something to note here as well. A specific shot in GTA 6 shows a close up of sorts of a cash register being opened, inside which you can see individually modelled coins, sporting different sizes and variations.
MORE CASH DETAILS
Also in that same scene, alongside coins, you can of course also spot plenty of cash bills in the register, and impressively enough, the bills have different shades of colours to indicate usage and wear and tear.
EXPLOSIONS
We all love a good looking exploring, and Rockstar’s games have usually tried their best to deliver the most explosive and best looking explosions they possible can with the technology and hardware on their hands. Grand Theft Auto 6 seems to be continuing that trend. Unsurprisingly for GTA, the newest trailer has explosions to show off, and they look utterly stunning- which may not come as a surprise, but is impressive to look at nonetheless.
GUN MODELS
There’s a surprisingly big jump in GTA 6’s quality of weapon models. Compared to GTA 5, which is of course more than a decade old at this point, Grand Theft Auto 6’s weapons and guns bear a much greater level of minute detail that fans will appreciate.
COIN ANIMATIONS
Credit: Reddit user: MobileAerie9918
Rockstar’s commitment to immersion shines through in even the smallest interactions, and the animated coins inside the cash register during a robbery in GTA 6 is a perfect example. It’s not just eye candy, it’s a subtle touch that elevates the entire experience, making the world feel more reactive, alive, and meticulously crafted.
