Grand Theft Auto 6 apparently features a new in-game social network where we’ll be able to watch videos and follow influences to discover “secret” side missions, which makes it sound like Rockstar is aiming its satirical cannon at TikTok and Instagram this time around.
2013’s GTA 5 aped Facebook with an in-game social network called Lifeinvader, and took aim at Twitter with a network called Bleeter. And 2008’s GTA 4, which came out before smartphones were a widespread thing, parodied the internet and websites, accessed through cafes like the brilliantly named Tw@.
And while we already knew something similar would be coming to GTA 6 – we got a glimpse of it in the game’s debut trailer – it wasn’t clear how fully featured the system would be.
New details of GTA 6’s social network trickled out of Amazon’s Brazilian store and Brazilian retailer Kabum. Amazon carries slightly fewer details, stating: “Integrated social networks: Watch viral videos, follow influencers, and discover world events through your in-game mobile phone.”
Kabum expands on this in a section headed “a living world controlled by artificial intelligence”. It states: “The universe of GTA 6 pulsates in a hyper-realistic way. The NPCs (non-player characters) have their own routines based on advanced AI, generating organic random events across the map. The great innovation lies in the in-game integration of social networks: your character’s cell phone consumes viral videos in real-time, allowing you to follow Vice City influencers and discover secret side missions through social media.”
In GTA 6’s debut trailer, there’s an approximately 15-second passage where we montage through a selection of short-form video social media clips, showing people twerking on car roofs, running from police, performing live music videos, having parties on boats, and threatening others with hammers – a nod to the infamous ‘hammer lady’.
We also see a “follow” button on the screen, as well as a heart button and a comment button, suggesting a level of interactivity.
That Rockstar would build a working social media network for GTA 6 is entirely believable. This is a studio known for its extraordinary attention-to-detail in its game worlds, but I wonder how detailed it will be; will we be able to upload our own videos and chase likes and followers in a similar way to in real life?
The Brazilian retailer listings offer a few other details as well. Amazon says we’ll be able to switch between the two protagonists Jason and Lucia “during the story” and that we can “participate in missions as a duo”; but Kabum’s listing again expands on this, declaring that we’ll be able to “switch control between Jason and Lucia in real-time”.
“Experience the evolution of character management, where each protagonist possesses unique abilities that directly influence the criminal ecosystem and the tactical intelligence of the missions,” Kabum states.
Kabum also addresses GTA 6’s Vice City map, calling it “the most massive, dense, and insane map ever created by Rockstar Games”, and mentions “neon-lit streets”, “dangerous swamps”, “crowded beaches”, and “realistic suburbs” as environments that we’ll explore.
Kabum also elaborates on GTA 6’s PS5 Pro optimisations: “Enjoy enhanced performance, more stable frame rates (FPS), and even sharper resolutions on the most powerful console on the market”.
It’s worth noting, however, that parts of Kabum’s listing are labelled as being an “ai-generated summary”, although not the sections quoted above. I’ve contacted Rockstar for clarification.
It’s been a busy week for GTA 6-related news. Pre-orders went live yesterday and we finally got a price too, which isn’t outrageous. But there was outrage around there being no disc in the physical edition but only a download code – a move seemingly done to eradicate second-hand sales. We also got a batch of new screenshots detailing exclusive Ultimate Edition shops, missions, cars, and outfits in the game, all of which has made for an exciting moment in games, albeit one tinged with concern.
GTA 6 releases on November 19th for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X.
