{"id":2113051,"date":"2026-08-26T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2113051"},"modified":"2026-08-26T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:00:00","slug":"gtavi-an-exclusive-deep-dive-into-the-video-game-of-the-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2113051","title":{"rendered":"GTAVI: An exclusive deep dive into the video game of the decade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-15-2400-1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451824.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article longread\">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/life-culture\/article\/70859\/1\/gta-6-grand-theft-auto-vi-rockstar-exclusive-deep-dive-game-unparalleled-world\" data-article-id=\"70859\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-portrait-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img no-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\" data-template=\"Longread Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC293_Cover_GTA_4x5\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1280\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451824.jpg\" width=\"2400\"><\/span><\/span><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-08-26T16:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"26 August 2026\"><span class=\"month\">DateInMeta<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"26\">26,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical vertical - life-culture\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-autumn-2026-issue\">The Autumn 2026 Issue<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>GTAVI: An exclusive deep dive into the video game of <span class=\"nowrap\">the decade<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>On par with a wonder of the modern world, the pressure on Grand Theft Auto VI to deliver the holy grail of gaming is enormous \u2013 we talk to Rockstar\u2019s epic team of creative talents to uncover <span class=\"nowrap\">its secrets<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-08-26T16:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"26 August 2026\"><span class=\"month\">August<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"26\">26,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - life-culture\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-autumn-2026-issue\">The Autumn 2026 Issue<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-08-26T16:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"26 August 2026\"><span class=\"month\">August<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"26\">26,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/ThomWaite\"><br \/>\nThom Waite<br \/>\n<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-7-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn <span class=\"nowrap\">2026 Issue<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/0\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-213-759-506\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451817.jpg\" width=\"759\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/1\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-108-759-506\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451819.jpg\" width=\"759\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/2\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-223-759-506\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451822.jpg\" width=\"759\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/3\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"508\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-37-762-508\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451823.jpg\" width=\"762\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/4\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-432-759-506\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451820.jpg\" width=\"759\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/5\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-761-507\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451821.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 7 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span><em>This story is taken from the autumn 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from September 10<strong>.<\/strong> Pre-order a copy of the magazine <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/boutiquegalleria.com\/products\/dazed-1\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On the sweltering Leonida Keys, sweat slicks the skin of two lovers on the run as they toast new beginnings, watching the sun set over the water. A breeze blows through their hair, and you can almost feel the condensation dripping from the cold beer bottles in their hands; in the background, locals gather on the weatherbeaten dock, indifferent to the story unfolding between the outlaws. Elsewhere, a few miles north, tanned bodies of all shapes and sizes swarm the sand on Vice Beach. Further north still, locals are caked in mud, kicked up from the back of a dirt bike or spattered on a stars-and-stripes bikini. And as night falls back in Vice City, sweaty crowds surge to deafening hip-hop beats, spilling out from clubs on to the neon-lit streets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s been 13 years since Rockstar Games released <\/span><em><span>Grand Theft Auto V<\/span><\/em><span>, one of the most acclaimed \u2013 and controversial \u2013 video games of all time. And it\u2019s been roughly the same amount of time since work began on its sequel, <\/span><em><span>Grand Theft Auto VI<\/span><\/em><span>, which transports the action from San Andreas (closely inspired by real-life southern California) to Leonida (based on Florida). That\u2019s more than a decade of anticipation, meaning there\u2019s \u201cunprecedented pressure\u201d on the follow-up to meet expectations, as Rob Nelson, head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, tells Dazed: \u201cHowever, I don\u2019t know that any amount of external pressure could compare with the pressure we put on ourselves as a team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If you accept that video games are an artform, then Rockstar Games has produced two of the most significant works of the 21st century so far: <em>GTAV <\/em>and the western-themed adventure <em>Red Dead Redemption 2<\/em>. The numbers speak for themselves: in 2013, the former broke the record for the fastest-selling entertainment product of all time, earning a billion dollars in just three days \u2013 more than any book or Hollywood film. Five years later, <em>RDR2 <\/em>took the second spot. But the latter also came with a gear shift. While GTA satirised modern life with wacky characters, high-octane car chases and explosive gunfights, <em>RDR2 <\/em>was hailed as one of the most realistic and immersive games to date, with a slower, more emotional tone suited to its storyline.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"170bc4e1-d3a7-4f23-b73f-b4b20095b9e3\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451817.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451817.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Lucia wears all clothes and glasses Stock 305. Jason wears all clothes and glasses Nola, watch <span class=\"nowrap\">Ferruccio Tucci<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em><span>GTAVI <\/span><\/em><span>promises something in between the two. The open-world game is set in the same fictionalised US that serves as the backdrop for the rest of the series, with all the weapons and supercars you\u2019d expect, but the world is more grounded and reactive than before \u2013 gone are the days when you could traverse the city like a god. Now, players\u2019 actions have consequences. Walk down the street with a rifle, and the city will have something to say about it. More and more, the games are converging on real life, and non-player characters (NPCs) are acting&#8230; well, less like NPCs than ever. For some gamers, there\u2019s a fear that what <\/span><em><span>GTAVI <\/span><\/em><span>gains in immersion, it loses in the chaos and anarchy that have been part of the series\u2019 DNA since the outset, but for Rockstar, the goal is to create a world of total immersion, which reacts more realistically than ever to what you choose to make of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe look back at our previous games with a critical eye and see where we want to evolve based on what we didn\u2019t do as well as we would have liked to, either because we didn\u2019t have the time, resources or technological capabilities, or in some cases things we just didn\u2019t do as well or consider as fully as we could have,\u201d says Nelson. \u201cA lot of what we do is very iterative \u2013 we adjust a lot of things by feel based on what is working and what isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"49a2d05d-8857-49e8-9255-b4b20095bf1d\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451820.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451820.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Boobie Ike wears <span class=\"nowrap\">shirt Blagueurs<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"ca4b9ae6-b36a-414e-940a-b4b20095bdc2\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451819.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451819.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Lucia wears archive dress <span class=\"nowrap\">Ferruccio Tucci<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The story has evolved, too, with higher stakes and characters grounded in all aspects of the world they inhabit. Players step into the shoes of Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos \u2013 an ex-military drug runner and a fighter fresh out of prison, respectively \u2013 and can choose to either play as a couple, or go off and cause chaos independently. This marks the first time that a GTA game has featured a playable couple in the lead role, which makes for some unique scenarios: on the way to a job, for example, players can cruise along the highway as Jason, or swap to Lucia in the passenger seat to scroll on the in-game phone. (Yes, there are working social media feeds \u2013 what satirical take on 2020s America would be complete without them?) When the job inevitably goes wrong and spirals into a car chase, the fluid system enables players to take the wheel in one moment, then fire on pursuers out of the passenger window the next. And afterwards, when it\u2019s all blown over, they can skim across the waves on a jetski, admiring the Leonida seascape and leaping dolphins with their arms wrapped around their partner\u2019s waist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>True romance like Jason and Lucia\u2019s usually takes a back seat in GTA games, which, when it comes to matters of love and sex, are more commonly associated with strip clubs and underground sex work. But <em>GTAVI <\/em>is very consciously staged as \u201ca Bonnie and Clyde-type narrative\u201d, says Rupert Humphries, senior vice president of narrative at Rockstar. The trailers alone feature a slew of intimate cutscenes from Jason and Lucia\u2019s own fugitive tale, which showcase the special attention that Rockstar\u2019s art and technology teams have paid to how bodies look and feel \u2013 a hand on a ribcage, hips swinging on a packed dancefloor. For some gamers, the story might even serve as one of their earliest encounters with a romantic (albeit crime-ridden) relationship, where their choices can have repercussions that cut much deeper than Rockstar\u2019s previous titles or \u201chonour\u201d systems that reward conscientious game playing.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cThe thing we love about this medium is the way these characters aren\u2019t empty avatars that you can do whatever you want with&#8230; Their story becomes a journey you share with them\u201d \u2013 Rob Nelson, head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Lucia is also the first fully fleshed-out female lead in a mainline GTA game. Before her, it\u2019s male protagonists all the way down, dating back to 1999. (<\/span><em><span>Grand Theft Auto<\/span><\/em><span>\u2019s 1997 debut featured a 50-50 split of male and female protagonists.) Previous instalments, including <\/span><em><span>GTAV<\/span><\/em><span>, drew criticism for misogynistic themes and underdeveloped female characters, but the series has evolved, and hopes to attract more female gamers to its previously male-heavy player base. In Lucia and Jason, they have created characters with rich, complex identities, while still leaving ample room for players to make them their own. \u201cThe thing we love about this medium is the way these characters aren\u2019t empty avatars that you can do whatever you want with,\u201d says Nelson. \u201cTheir story becomes a journey you share with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The joy of GTA is as much about what players do with the moments in between story beats, though. And Rockstar offers what has been \u2013 up until now \u2013 as close to true freedom as you\u2019re going to get within the confines of a virtual world. \u201cWe want to enable as much self-expression as possible,\u201d says Nelson, \u201cwithout losing the essence of the characters.\u201d Take <em>GTAV<\/em>\u2019s version of 2010s Los Angeles, for example: you could rampage through the streets with an assault rifle or a tank, cruise by the Pacific in an open-top car blasting Frank Ocean, or even relax with a round of golf. <em>RDR2 <\/em>pushed things further: between shootouts, the player-controlled protagonist Arthur Morgan could retreat into the wild to fish, hunt big game and make a campfire under the geographically accurate stars, or lose time drinking and gambling in remote frontier towns. Come down out of the mountains a few in-game weeks later, and he\u2019d have grown a long beard and a mane of hair, and visibly lost some weight (or gained it, depending on your skill with a bow and arrow). Bar fights, meanwhile, would leave him bruised and scarred.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"2b4aade4-2131-4ccf-b55c-b4b20095c229\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451822.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451822.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Jason wears archive jacket and glasses Nola, top This\/That, custom-made <span class=\"nowrap\">jewellery Caliber<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"bdca7c33-7be8-4ffb-a2cd-b4b20095c39b\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/762\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451823.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/762\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451823.jpg\" width=\"762\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Bae-Luxe wears dress and glasses Stock 305, custom-made chains Caliber, <span class=\"nowrap\">boots Nola<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em><span>GTAVI <\/span><\/em><span>marks the return, and expansion, of these interactive systems that alter the protagonists\u2019 bodies. Food affects Jason and Lucia\u2019s weight, while exercising visibly builds and tones their muscles. And, if you end up spending a long time away from your bed, on the run from police or on a multi-day bender, their features are going to pay the price for that as well. The effect is a bit like <\/span><em><span>The Picture of Dorian Gray <\/span><\/em><span>\u2013 only, instead of your soul being recorded on a spooky painting in the attic, your habits and sins are written on to the faces and bodies of the game\u2019s avatars. This kind of interactivity is unique to video games, shaping the virtual world and the player\u2019s responses to it in turn. Between visual feedback mechanisms, deep relationship mechanics and the heightened realism of the world they inhabit, people might even think twice about going on the arcade-style rampages of GTA games gone by, once they land in Leonida.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cWe will meet with ex-criminals, law enforcement, club promoters, gun dealers and anyone notorious or influential who\u2019ll take our calls. We hang out, get a feeling for the place, listen to the stories&#8230;\u201d \u2013 Jamie-Lee Lloyd, senior art director for characters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Vice City, the heart of <em>GTAVI<\/em>\u2019s Leonida, is based on Miami. This means players can expect encounters with virtual iterations of Florida Man, the cultural archetype-turned-meme known IRL for wrangling alligators, drunken antics and literal grand theft auto. But these outsized characters are just one bizarre facet of a world built with \u201can open mind, a genuine appreciation and a deep curiosity\u201d towards the culture it\u2019s based on, says <em>GTAVI <\/em>game writer Michael Wiafe. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to go in with a cynical view and say, \u2018Well that\u2019s weird, put it in the game,\u2019 but we couldn\u2019t just stop there. We have to bring a sense of discovery to the players too, not just repeat cliches that already exist.\u201d To do that requires years of on-the-ground exploration: various groups of Rockstar employees have visited Miami and its surrounding areas over the last decade, and there is a dedicated research team embedded in the city. \u201cThat firsthand context helped us understand the visual markers and nuances that define the identities we wanted to represent,\u201d explains Jamie-Lee Lloyd, senior art director for characters, \u201cwhile filtering them through the unique lens of GTA and the stories we wanted to tell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Humphries agrees that these experiences are essential, noting that a majority of the game\u2019s characters are born out of this research, which includes meeting real people who call the state home. \u201cWe will meet with ex-criminals, law enforcement, club promoters, gun dealers and anyone notorious or influential who\u2019ll take our calls,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe hang out, get a feeling for the place, listen to the stories, cross-reference that with books and journalism, and try to get to the heart of which characters will bring the city we are creating to life.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"3901f7bd-46ed-4046-b01b-b4b20095c0a2\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451821.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451821.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Roxy wears all clothes Stock 305, glasses Ferruccio Tucci, custom-made <span class=\"nowrap\">chains Caliber<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In <\/span><em><span>GTAVI<\/span><\/em><span>, this cast includes various criminals, from old-school drug runner Brian Heder and his conspiracy-obsessed associate, Cal Hampton, to suave bank robber Raul Bautista. Elsewhere, the lines are blurrier. Vice City legend Boobie Ike oversees a private empire including the Jack of Hearts strip club (a GTA staple) and a music studio, overseen by the young, opportunistic Dre\u2019Quan Priest. \u201cWe love Miami music, particularly Miami bass, going through to more recent Miami artists like Kodak Black and Sexyy Red,\u201d says Humphries. \u201cWe were also really interested in how the hip-hop scene in Miami exists in house parties in Overtown, clubs like Booby Trap on the River, and then high-end places on South Beach where bottles can cost thousands of dollars. We needed characters who could take us through those worlds.\u201d In the years since the release of the last game, the music industry has witnessed a shift in focus towards female artists, as represented in the game\u2019s rising stars Real Dimez, whose journey can be traced via in-game viral social media posts.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201c[<em>GTA VI<\/em>\u2019s] brands reflect the aspirations, aesthetics and lifestyles of the people that inhabit our world\u2019s spaces\u201d \u2013 Stu Petri, vice president of 2D\/UI design<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>With characters like these, anchored in a specific place and time, is there a risk of tipping back into reductive Miami parodies, especially given the game\u2019s long lifespan? If today we look back on <\/span><em><span>GTAV<\/span><\/em><span>\u2019s hipsters and geeky tech bros as a kind of 2010s time capsule, what kinds of cultural archetypes will we look back on when we revisit <\/span><em><span>GTAVI <\/span><\/em><span>in another 13 years, and will they remain true to how we experience them in the present day? The artists, writers and developers at Rockstar are conscious of the tightrope they\u2019re walking. Take Stu Petri, vice president of 2D\/UI design, who has overseen much of the careful world-building in <\/span><em><span>GTAVI<\/span><\/em><span>, including the many in-game products, brands, shops and campaigns that bear more than a passing resemblance to their real-life counterparts. \u201cOur vision is to build a vibrant, believable culture,\u201d he says, meaning that every brand, from fashion label to car company, has to feel like more than just a one-off joke, as if it actually exists and serves a real purpose in Leonida\u2019s cultural ecosystem. \u201cThese brands reflect the aspirations, aesthetics and lifestyles of the people that inhabit our world\u2019s spaces.\u201d Drop into the game as Jason or Lucia, and they come to reflect your inner life as well, lending an extra layer of meaning to each haircut or outfit choice.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"3bf4f56b-5ee8-4532-8654-b4b20095bb5a\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451818.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451818.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Raul Bautista wears vintage shirt Nola, <span class=\"nowrap\">glasses This\/That<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The potential to explore a diversity of cultures and lifestyles is partly why the series ended up circling back to Vice City and the state of Leonida in the first place, Nelson suggests: \u201cFlorida and Miami have perhaps one of the most diverse and interesting populations in the world.\u201d Few know this better than Miami-based stylist Jillian Carr, who has worked with Rockstar since 2023, designing an in-game \u201cfashion ecosystem\u201d that aims to reflect all the nuances of \u201ctaste, lifestyle, affluence and individuality\u201d that are displayed in the city, and in America as a whole. \u201cVice City is built around vanity,\u201d says Carr. \u201cBetween social media, celebrity culture and a constant flow of tourists, appearances carry significant weight, and trend cycles turn over quickly.\u201d This brings us back to the background NPCs. Young and old, tall or short, tattooed, pierced or modified with plastic surgery, wearing throwback Hawaiian shirts, sharp suits, luxury fashion or muddy combat gear, the bodies and clothes of the virtual masses are also far more varied than in previous games, and more tailored to their local environments, from Vice City\u2019s Little Cuba to the wilderness of Mount Kalaga national park.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cTo bring that diversity to life in-game, we developed new tools and pipelines that enabled us to build the most detailed and varied character population we\u2019ve ever created,\u201d says Lloyd. But ultimately, he adds, making that population feel authentic comes from more than appearance alone. \u201cIt\u2019s the combination of how a character looks, moves, interacts and expresses themselves, brought together through collaboration across multiple teams.\u201d Wiafe hopes that all of these systems working together deliver \u201ca landscape that players feel they\u2019ve been dropped into and are made to endlessly roam around in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cVice City is built around vanity. Between social media, celebrity culture and a constant flow of tourists, appearances carry significant weight, and trend cycles turn over quickly\u201d \u2013 Jillian Carr, stylist<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>To pull off the technical and cultural feats required to build a world of the scale, depth and interactivity of <\/span><em><span>GTAVI<\/span><\/em><span>, the Rockstar team has more than doubled in size since the release of <\/span><em><span>Red Dead Redemption 2<\/span><\/em><span>. It has offices around the world, with one branch in LA dedicated almost solely to the world of in-game pedestrians (NPCs). More than 50 real street artists were brought in to design murals in places like Vice City\u2019s Stockyard (based on Wynwood, Miami). The team that deals with vehicle handling is made up of literal race-car drivers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Again, it all adds up to a lot of pressure, and not only because the investment of time, money and effort is on a par with several wonders of the world \u2013 at the time of writing, there\u2019s an online rumour that the game cost more to build than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. But also because, if all goes well, this is a work of art that people could spend the next decade with&#8230; at least. \u201cIt is a lot of pressure internally and externally, but that pressure is ultimately a privilege we know we are fortunate to have,\u201d says Nelson. \u201cAll we want to do is deliver for our audience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span>This story is taken from the autumn 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from September 10. Pre-order a copy of the magazine <a href=\"https:\/\/boutiquegalleria.com\/products\/dazed-1\">here<\/a>. Grand Theft Auto VI is out on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X\/S.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"article-footer\">\n<div class=\"article-series header tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-autumn-2026-issue\">The Autumn 2026 Issue<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/gaming\">Gaming<\/a><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<div class=\"grid split-list__header\">\n<div class=\"section-header\">\n<div class=\"section-header__link\">\n<h2 class=\"section-header__title\">Trending<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"split-list-scene\" data-split-scene>\n<section class=\"split-list\" id=\"trending\" data-split>\n<div class=\"split-list__layout\" aria-label=\"Trending\">\n<div class=\"split-list__feature\"><a class=\"split-hero\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/70864\/1\/5-iconic-dolly-parton-life-lessons-best-quotes\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-hero__media\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"1393574\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/0-862-1600-1066\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451864.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-hero__panel\">\n<div class=\"split-hero__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"split-hero__title\">5 iconic life lessons from Dolly Parton<\/h3>\n<p class=\"split-hero__summary\">Impossibly charming and talented, Dolly Parton could transcend generations and political divides like almost no other cultural figure. Here are some of her most iconic quotes and slices of wisdom<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"split-hero__category\">Music<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-list__rail\" data-split-rail tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"split-list__railInner\"><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/article\/70863\/1\/harry-styles-techno-is-my-boyfriend-zoe-kravitz-street-style\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Harry Styles\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/615-218-893-595\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451833.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Fashion<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">Harry Styles wants you to know he\u2019s been to Berghain<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/70644\/1\/curtis-garner-and-william-rayfet-hunter-in-conversation-hinge-no-ordinary-love\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"split-rail-card__campaign optional-paragraph\">Hinge<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Original (1)\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/180-338-1775-1184\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/9\/1449718.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Life &amp; Culture<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">Curtis Garner and William Rayfet Hunter on staying true to yourself in love<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/70856\/1\/nick-haymes-chronograph-mack-photo-book-photography-growing-up-coming-of-age\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Nick Haymes, Chronograph\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/0-582-1574-1049\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451831.jpeg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Art &amp; Photography<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">A coming-of-age story told across 1,000 photographs<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/70853\/1\/gritty-photos-a-tattoo-road-trip-london-dublin-glasgow\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"COE-121\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451734.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Beauty<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">A hometown road trip with three \u2018brutal\u2019 tattoo artists<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/70850\/1\/stop-the-train-film-rupaul-ginger-minj-jujubee-brooke-lynn-hytes-adam-shankman\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Stop! That! Train!, (Film Still, 2026) \" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/275-222-2556-1704\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451698.jpeg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Film &amp; TV<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">Stop! That! Train!: Is this the most subversive film of 2026?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/70821\/1\/ethel-cain-meets-inde-navarrette-autumn-2026-issue-dior-\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC293_Cover_Ethel_Cain_4x5 (1)\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/0-698-2400-1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451702.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Music<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">Ethel Cain in conversation with Inde Navarrette<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/70854\/1\/kembra-pfahler-interview-artist-advice-performance-artist-workshop\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kembra Pfahler\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/0-435-1995-1330\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451736.jpeg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Art &amp; Photography<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">Kembra Pfahler\u2019s guide to becoming an artist<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/article\/70852\/1\/supersized-accessories-trend-big-clip-zip-chanel-xxl-bags\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Supersized accessories\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/0-0-1079-719\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451709.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Fashion<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">Calling all size queens: Supersized accessories are so hot right now<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-navigation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/news\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img one\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">News<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img two\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Fashion<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img three\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Music<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img four\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Film &amp; TV<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/70859\/1\/gta-6-grand-theft-auto-vi-rockstar-exclusive-deep-dive-game-unparalleled-world#features\" class=\"image-navigation__img five\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Features<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img six\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Beauty<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img seven\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Life &amp; Culture<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img eight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Art &amp; Photography<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-7-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn <span class=\"nowrap\">2026 Issue<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/0\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-213-759-506\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451817.jpg\" width=\"759\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/1\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-108-759-506\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451819.jpg\" width=\"759\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/2\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-223-759-506\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451822.jpg\" width=\"759\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/3\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"508\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-37-762-508\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451823.jpg\" width=\"762\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/4\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-432-759-506\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451820.jpg\" width=\"759\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/gallery\/37342\/5\/gta-vi-the-autumn-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-761-507\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451821.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 7 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span><em>This story is taken from the autumn 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from September 10<strong>.<\/strong> Pre-order a copy of the magazine <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/boutiquegalleria.com\/products\/dazed-1\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On the sweltering Leonida Keys, sweat slicks the skin of two lovers on the run as they toast new beginnings, watching the sun set over the water. A breeze blows through their hair, and you can almost feel the condensation dripping from the cold beer bottles in their hands; in the background, locals gather on the weatherbeaten dock, indifferent to the story unfolding between the outlaws. Elsewhere, a few miles north, tanned bodies of all shapes and sizes swarm the sand on Vice Beach. Further north still, locals are caked in mud, kicked up from the back of a dirt bike or spattered on a stars-and-stripes bikini. And as night falls back in Vice City, sweaty crowds surge to deafening hip-hop beats, spilling out from clubs on to the neon-lit streets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s been 13 years since Rockstar Games released <\/span><em><span>Grand Theft Auto V<\/span><\/em><span>, one of the most acclaimed \u2013 and controversial \u2013 video games of all time. And it\u2019s been roughly the same amount of time since work began on its sequel, <\/span><em><span>Grand Theft Auto VI<\/span><\/em><span>, which transports the action from San Andreas (closely inspired by real-life southern California) to Leonida (based on Florida). That\u2019s more than a decade of anticipation, meaning there\u2019s \u201cunprecedented pressure\u201d on the follow-up to meet expectations, as Rob Nelson, head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, tells Dazed: \u201cHowever, I don\u2019t know that any amount of external pressure could compare with the pressure we put on ourselves as a team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If you accept that video games are an artform, then Rockstar Games has produced two of the most significant works of the 21st century so far: <em>GTAV <\/em>and the western-themed adventure <em>Red Dead Redemption 2<\/em>. The numbers speak for themselves: in 2013, the former broke the record for the fastest-selling entertainment product of all time, earning a billion dollars in just three days \u2013 more than any book or Hollywood film. Five years later, <em>RDR2 <\/em>took the second spot. But the latter also came with a gear shift. While GTA satirised modern life with wacky characters, high-octane car chases and explosive gunfights, <em>RDR2 <\/em>was hailed as one of the most realistic and immersive games to date, with a slower, more emotional tone suited to its storyline.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"170bc4e1-d3a7-4f23-b73f-b4b20095b9e3\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451817.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451817.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Lucia wears all clothes and glasses Stock 305. Jason wears all clothes and glasses Nola, watch <span class=\"nowrap\">Ferruccio Tucci<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em><span>GTAVI <\/span><\/em><span>promises something in between the two. The open-world game is set in the same fictionalised US that serves as the backdrop for the rest of the series, with all the weapons and supercars you\u2019d expect, but the world is more grounded and reactive than before \u2013 gone are the days when you could traverse the city like a god. Now, players\u2019 actions have consequences. Walk down the street with a rifle, and the city will have something to say about it. More and more, the games are converging on real life, and non-player characters (NPCs) are acting&#8230; well, less like NPCs than ever. For some gamers, there\u2019s a fear that what <\/span><em><span>GTAVI <\/span><\/em><span>gains in immersion, it loses in the chaos and anarchy that have been part of the series\u2019 DNA since the outset, but for Rockstar, the goal is to create a world of total immersion, which reacts more realistically than ever to what you choose to make of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe look back at our previous games with a critical eye and see where we want to evolve based on what we didn\u2019t do as well as we would have liked to, either because we didn\u2019t have the time, resources or technological capabilities, or in some cases things we just didn\u2019t do as well or consider as fully as we could have,\u201d says Nelson. \u201cA lot of what we do is very iterative \u2013 we adjust a lot of things by feel based on what is working and what isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"49a2d05d-8857-49e8-9255-b4b20095bf1d\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451820.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451820.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Boobie Ike wears <span class=\"nowrap\">shirt Blagueurs<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"ca4b9ae6-b36a-414e-940a-b4b20095bdc2\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451819.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451819.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Lucia wears archive dress <span class=\"nowrap\">Ferruccio Tucci<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The story has evolved, too, with higher stakes and characters grounded in all aspects of the world they inhabit. Players step into the shoes of Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos \u2013 an ex-military drug runner and a fighter fresh out of prison, respectively \u2013 and can choose to either play as a couple, or go off and cause chaos independently. This marks the first time that a GTA game has featured a playable couple in the lead role, which makes for some unique scenarios: on the way to a job, for example, players can cruise along the highway as Jason, or swap to Lucia in the passenger seat to scroll on the in-game phone. (Yes, there are working social media feeds \u2013 what satirical take on 2020s America would be complete without them?) When the job inevitably goes wrong and spirals into a car chase, the fluid system enables players to take the wheel in one moment, then fire on pursuers out of the passenger window the next. And afterwards, when it\u2019s all blown over, they can skim across the waves on a jetski, admiring the Leonida seascape and leaping dolphins with their arms wrapped around their partner\u2019s waist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>True romance like Jason and Lucia\u2019s usually takes a back seat in GTA games, which, when it comes to matters of love and sex, are more commonly associated with strip clubs and underground sex work. But <em>GTAVI <\/em>is very consciously staged as \u201ca Bonnie and Clyde-type narrative\u201d, says Rupert Humphries, senior vice president of narrative at Rockstar. The trailers alone feature a slew of intimate cutscenes from Jason and Lucia\u2019s own fugitive tale, which showcase the special attention that Rockstar\u2019s art and technology teams have paid to how bodies look and feel \u2013 a hand on a ribcage, hips swinging on a packed dancefloor. For some gamers, the story might even serve as one of their earliest encounters with a romantic (albeit crime-ridden) relationship, where their choices can have repercussions that cut much deeper than Rockstar\u2019s previous titles or \u201chonour\u201d systems that reward conscientious game playing.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cThe thing we love about this medium is the way these characters aren\u2019t empty avatars that you can do whatever you want with&#8230; Their story becomes a journey you share with them\u201d \u2013 Rob Nelson, head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Lucia is also the first fully fleshed-out female lead in a mainline GTA game. Before her, it\u2019s male protagonists all the way down, dating back to 1999. (<\/span><em><span>Grand Theft Auto<\/span><\/em><span>\u2019s 1997 debut featured a 50-50 split of male and female protagonists.) Previous instalments, including <\/span><em><span>GTAV<\/span><\/em><span>, drew criticism for misogynistic themes and underdeveloped female characters, but the series has evolved, and hopes to attract more female gamers to its previously male-heavy player base. In Lucia and Jason, they have created characters with rich, complex identities, while still leaving ample room for players to make them their own. \u201cThe thing we love about this medium is the way these characters aren\u2019t empty avatars that you can do whatever you want with,\u201d says Nelson. \u201cTheir story becomes a journey you share with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The joy of GTA is as much about what players do with the moments in between story beats, though. And Rockstar offers what has been \u2013 up until now \u2013 as close to true freedom as you\u2019re going to get within the confines of a virtual world. \u201cWe want to enable as much self-expression as possible,\u201d says Nelson, \u201cwithout losing the essence of the characters.\u201d Take <em>GTAV<\/em>\u2019s version of 2010s Los Angeles, for example: you could rampage through the streets with an assault rifle or a tank, cruise by the Pacific in an open-top car blasting Frank Ocean, or even relax with a round of golf. <em>RDR2 <\/em>pushed things further: between shootouts, the player-controlled protagonist Arthur Morgan could retreat into the wild to fish, hunt big game and make a campfire under the geographically accurate stars, or lose time drinking and gambling in remote frontier towns. Come down out of the mountains a few in-game weeks later, and he\u2019d have grown a long beard and a mane of hair, and visibly lost some weight (or gained it, depending on your skill with a bow and arrow). Bar fights, meanwhile, would leave him bruised and scarred.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"2b4aade4-2131-4ccf-b55c-b4b20095c229\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451822.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451822.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Jason wears archive jacket and glasses Nola, top This\/That, custom-made <span class=\"nowrap\">jewellery Caliber<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"bdca7c33-7be8-4ffb-a2cd-b4b20095c39b\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/762\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451823.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/762\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451823.jpg\" width=\"762\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Bae-Luxe wears dress and glasses Stock 305, custom-made chains Caliber, <span class=\"nowrap\">boots Nola<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em><span>GTAVI <\/span><\/em><span>marks the return, and expansion, of these interactive systems that alter the protagonists\u2019 bodies. Food affects Jason and Lucia\u2019s weight, while exercising visibly builds and tones their muscles. And, if you end up spending a long time away from your bed, on the run from police or on a multi-day bender, their features are going to pay the price for that as well. The effect is a bit like <\/span><em><span>The Picture of Dorian Gray <\/span><\/em><span>\u2013 only, instead of your soul being recorded on a spooky painting in the attic, your habits and sins are written on to the faces and bodies of the game\u2019s avatars. This kind of interactivity is unique to video games, shaping the virtual world and the player\u2019s responses to it in turn. Between visual feedback mechanisms, deep relationship mechanics and the heightened realism of the world they inhabit, people might even think twice about going on the arcade-style rampages of GTA games gone by, once they land in Leonida.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cWe will meet with ex-criminals, law enforcement, club promoters, gun dealers and anyone notorious or influential who\u2019ll take our calls. We hang out, get a feeling for the place, listen to the stories&#8230;\u201d \u2013 Jamie-Lee Lloyd, senior art director for characters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Vice City, the heart of <em>GTAVI<\/em>\u2019s Leonida, is based on Miami. This means players can expect encounters with virtual iterations of Florida Man, the cultural archetype-turned-meme known IRL for wrangling alligators, drunken antics and literal grand theft auto. But these outsized characters are just one bizarre facet of a world built with \u201can open mind, a genuine appreciation and a deep curiosity\u201d towards the culture it\u2019s based on, says <em>GTAVI <\/em>game writer Michael Wiafe. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to go in with a cynical view and say, \u2018Well that\u2019s weird, put it in the game,\u2019 but we couldn\u2019t just stop there. We have to bring a sense of discovery to the players too, not just repeat cliches that already exist.\u201d To do that requires years of on-the-ground exploration: various groups of Rockstar employees have visited Miami and its surrounding areas over the last decade, and there is a dedicated research team embedded in the city. \u201cThat firsthand context helped us understand the visual markers and nuances that define the identities we wanted to represent,\u201d explains Jamie-Lee Lloyd, senior art director for characters, \u201cwhile filtering them through the unique lens of GTA and the stories we wanted to tell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Humphries agrees that these experiences are essential, noting that a majority of the game\u2019s characters are born out of this research, which includes meeting real people who call the state home. \u201cWe will meet with ex-criminals, law enforcement, club promoters, gun dealers and anyone notorious or influential who\u2019ll take our calls,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe hang out, get a feeling for the place, listen to the stories, cross-reference that with books and journalism, and try to get to the heart of which characters will bring the city we are creating to life.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"3901f7bd-46ed-4046-b01b-b4b20095c0a2\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451821.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451821.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Roxy wears all clothes Stock 305, glasses Ferruccio Tucci, custom-made <span class=\"nowrap\">chains Caliber<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In <\/span><em><span>GTAVI<\/span><\/em><span>, this cast includes various criminals, from old-school drug runner Brian Heder and his conspiracy-obsessed associate, Cal Hampton, to suave bank robber Raul Bautista. Elsewhere, the lines are blurrier. Vice City legend Boobie Ike oversees a private empire including the Jack of Hearts strip club (a GTA staple) and a music studio, overseen by the young, opportunistic Dre\u2019Quan Priest. \u201cWe love Miami music, particularly Miami bass, going through to more recent Miami artists like Kodak Black and Sexyy Red,\u201d says Humphries. \u201cWe were also really interested in how the hip-hop scene in Miami exists in house parties in Overtown, clubs like Booby Trap on the River, and then high-end places on South Beach where bottles can cost thousands of dollars. We needed characters who could take us through those worlds.\u201d In the years since the release of the last game, the music industry has witnessed a shift in focus towards female artists, as represented in the game\u2019s rising stars Real Dimez, whose journey can be traced via in-game viral social media posts.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201c[<em>GTA VI<\/em>\u2019s] brands reflect the aspirations, aesthetics and lifestyles of the people that inhabit our world\u2019s spaces\u201d \u2013 Stu Petri, vice president of 2D\/UI design<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>With characters like these, anchored in a specific place and time, is there a risk of tipping back into reductive Miami parodies, especially given the game\u2019s long lifespan? If today we look back on <\/span><em><span>GTAV<\/span><\/em><span>\u2019s hipsters and geeky tech bros as a kind of 2010s time capsule, what kinds of cultural archetypes will we look back on when we revisit <\/span><em><span>GTAVI <\/span><\/em><span>in another 13 years, and will they remain true to how we experience them in the present day? The artists, writers and developers at Rockstar are conscious of the tightrope they\u2019re walking. Take Stu Petri, vice president of 2D\/UI design, who has overseen much of the careful world-building in <\/span><em><span>GTAVI<\/span><\/em><span>, including the many in-game products, brands, shops and campaigns that bear more than a passing resemblance to their real-life counterparts. \u201cOur vision is to build a vibrant, believable culture,\u201d he says, meaning that every brand, from fashion label to car company, has to feel like more than just a one-off joke, as if it actually exists and serves a real purpose in Leonida\u2019s cultural ecosystem. \u201cThese brands reflect the aspirations, aesthetics and lifestyles of the people that inhabit our world\u2019s spaces.\u201d Drop into the game as Jason or Lucia, and they come to reflect your inner life as well, lending an extra layer of meaning to each haircut or outfit choice.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"3bf4f56b-5ee8-4532-8654-b4b20095bb5a\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451818.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA VI \u2013\u00a0The Autumn 2026 Issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/761\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451818.jpg\" width=\"761\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Raul Bautista wears vintage shirt Nola, <span class=\"nowrap\">glasses This\/That<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Rockstar Games<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The potential to explore a diversity of cultures and lifestyles is partly why the series ended up circling back to Vice City and the state of Leonida in the first place, Nelson suggests: \u201cFlorida and Miami have perhaps one of the most diverse and interesting populations in the world.\u201d Few know this better than Miami-based stylist Jillian Carr, who has worked with Rockstar since 2023, designing an in-game \u201cfashion ecosystem\u201d that aims to reflect all the nuances of \u201ctaste, lifestyle, affluence and individuality\u201d that are displayed in the city, and in America as a whole. \u201cVice City is built around vanity,\u201d says Carr. \u201cBetween social media, celebrity culture and a constant flow of tourists, appearances carry significant weight, and trend cycles turn over quickly.\u201d This brings us back to the background NPCs. Young and old, tall or short, tattooed, pierced or modified with plastic surgery, wearing throwback Hawaiian shirts, sharp suits, luxury fashion or muddy combat gear, the bodies and clothes of the virtual masses are also far more varied than in previous games, and more tailored to their local environments, from Vice City\u2019s Little Cuba to the wilderness of Mount Kalaga national park.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cTo bring that diversity to life in-game, we developed new tools and pipelines that enabled us to build the most detailed and varied character population we\u2019ve ever created,\u201d says Lloyd. But ultimately, he adds, making that population feel authentic comes from more than appearance alone. \u201cIt\u2019s the combination of how a character looks, moves, interacts and expresses themselves, brought together through collaboration across multiple teams.\u201d Wiafe hopes that all of these systems working together deliver \u201ca landscape that players feel they\u2019ve been dropped into and are made to endlessly roam around in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cVice City is built around vanity. Between social media, celebrity culture and a constant flow of tourists, appearances carry significant weight, and trend cycles turn over quickly\u201d \u2013 Jillian Carr, stylist<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>To pull off the technical and cultural feats required to build a world of the scale, depth and interactivity of <\/span><em><span>GTAVI<\/span><\/em><span>, the Rockstar team has more than doubled in size since the release of <\/span><em><span>Red Dead Redemption 2<\/span><\/em><span>. It has offices around the world, with one branch in LA dedicated almost solely to the world of in-game pedestrians (NPCs). More than 50 real street artists were brought in to design murals in places like Vice City\u2019s Stockyard (based on Wynwood, Miami). The team that deals with vehicle handling is made up of literal race-car drivers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Again, it all adds up to a lot of pressure, and not only because the investment of time, money and effort is on a par with several wonders of the world \u2013 at the time of writing, there\u2019s an online rumour that the game cost more to build than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. But also because, if all goes well, this is a work of art that people could spend the next decade with&#8230; at least. \u201cIt is a lot of pressure internally and externally, but that pressure is ultimately a privilege we know we are fortunate to have,\u201d says Nelson. \u201cAll we want to do is deliver for our audience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span>This story is taken from the autumn 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from September 10. Pre-order a copy of the magazine <a href=\"https:\/\/boutiquegalleria.com\/products\/dazed-1\">here<\/a>. Grand Theft Auto VI is out on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X\/S.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/70859\/1\/gta-6-grand-theft-auto-vi-rockstar-exclusive-deep-dive-game-unparalleled-world&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-15-2400-1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/1\/1451824.jpg&#8221;] DateInMeta\u00a0 26,\u00a0 2026 Life &amp; Culture \/ The Autumn 2026 Issue GTAVI: An exclusive deep dive into the video game of the decade On par with a wonder of the modern world, the pressure on Grand Theft Auto VI to deliver the holy grail of gaming is enormous \u2013 we talk to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-2113051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2113051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113051\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2113051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2113051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2113051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}