Netflix debuts extended Grand Theft Auto 6 preview

Netflix gave subscribers the first extended look at Grand Theft Auto 6 on Thursday, unveiling a roughly 25-minute preview of one of the year’s most anticipated video games before its scheduled Nov. 19 release.

The video, released through a partnership between Netflix and Rockstar Games, showed detailed footage of the sequel after more than 18 months without an official glimpse, the BBC reported. CBS News described the preview as 25 minutes long, while the BBC reported it ran 26 minutes. For viewers without Netflix, the preview was set to air later Thursday on Rockstar Games’ website and YouTube at 9 p.m. ET.

The montage, presented without commentary or explanatory captions, focused on protagonists Jason Duval and Lucia Camino as they carried out heists, fled police and moved through the fictional state of Leonida, a Florida-inspired setting that includes Vice City. The opening sequence shows Jason and Lucia arriving at an apartment for what appears to be a drug deal before a shootout with police. Other clips showed robberies at convenience stores, jewelry stores and diners, along with car chases, bars, scuffles and scenes from the criminal underworld.

Rockstar has described the game as centered on Jason, an Army veteran, and Lucia, the franchise’s first female protagonist, who was sent to Leonida Penitentiary after “fighting for her family.” The company’s description says the pair are pulled into “a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida” after “an easy score goes wrong” and must rely on each other to survive.

“Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them,” the description reads. “But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America.”

The BBC reported that the preview showed players switching control between the two characters, including a scene in which Jason lowers Lucia from a window as they escape a drug bust. In a preview published by IGN, developers said the relationship between Jason and Lucia can be affected by player actions, though players can “opt out” of developing the pair’s bond.

The video also highlighted the game’s graphics and environments, including apartment interiors, rooftop bars, underground clubs and a wide range of background characters with varied body shapes and sizes. Journalist Ryan McCaffrey said GTA 6 “might be the best-looking game I’ve ever seen,” the BBC reported.

The preview followed a week of unauthorized gameplay leaks. Rockstar said on social media Wednesday that it was “unfortunate that the intended game experience may now be impacted by some spoilers,” adding, “we hope that everyone will wait a bit longer to experience the game for themselves on November 19.” The BBC reported that the developer called the leaks “heartbreaking.”

Grand Theft Auto 6 is arriving 13 years after Grand Theft Auto 5, which was released in September 2013. GTA 5 sold 11 million copies on its first day, according to Forbes, and has sold more than 200 million copies overall, the BBC reported. Piper Sandler estimates GTA 6 will sell 35 million copies by April 2027, according to Forbes.

Rockstar has not released the game’s budget, though estimates cited by CBS News place it in the billions. Preorders are available through retailers including GameStop and PlayStation, with prices starting at $79.99 and rising to $99.99 for the “ultimate edition.”

Rockstar has said GTA 6 will launch as a single-player experience. The preview did not include news about an online mode, though GTA Online, which launched after GTA 5, remains one of the world’s most-played games and is believed to have generated billions of dollars for Rockstar, the BBC reported.