After the second trailer of "GTA6" was released on May 6, 2025, it set a new global video release record with more than 475 million views on all platforms on the first day. This data not only far exceeded the 93 million views of the first trailer in 2023 (only released exclusively on YouTube at the time), but also surpassed "Deadpool and Wolverine" (365 million times) and "Fantastic Four: Emerging Lights" (2 billion times) and other Hollywood blockbuster trailers, becoming a phenomenon-level cultural event.
This trailer was recorded on the PS5 real machine, mixing equal parts gameplay and cutscenes to show the next-generation visual benchmark. An analysis by Digital Foundry pointed out that its RTGI global illumination system brings the light and shadow levels of police car chase scenes to film and television levels, and its dynamic reflection technology achieves breakthroughs in multi-layer transparent reflection details of the windshield. For example, when the car window is rolled down, multiple images such as the reflection of the dashboard and the real scene of the beach outside the car are simultaneously displayed. In terms of character creation, the hair physics system uses dynamic simulation based on hair bundles, skin oil reflection, clothing secondary animation and other details to create a sense of biological reality. However, shadow processing still exposes the limitations of traditional technology, and frame rate stability also raises concerns about host performance adaptation.
In terms of communication strategy, the trailer was simultaneously launched on more than 20 platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Weibo, and was pushed through the Sony PS5 system pop-up window to cover more than 120 million console users. According to data from Station B, the official video has been played more than 2.15 million times and topped the hot list of the entire site. Multi-platform linkage directly promotes exponential growth in playback volume. The song "Hot Together" by The Pointer Sisters in the trailer has a 182,000% increase in Spotify playback, becoming a case of pop culture resonance and confirming the status of the "GTA" series as a "cultural connector".
Despite the popularity, the decision to postpone "GTA6" to May 26, 2026 still caused controversy. Take-Two's share price plummeted 7%, wiping out $3 billion in market value, and some investors worried about disrupting the market structure. Rockstar explained that it needed to optimize the details of the open world and the dual-protagonist narrative. A reporter from Bloomberg revealed that the real reason was that the development volume far exceeded expectations and the time plan collapsed. For example, the dynamic ecosystem requires NPC behavior to change dynamically with player operations, resulting in a surge in code volume. The release time of the PC version has not been mentioned. Historical data shows that the PC version of "GTA5" is 18 months later than the console version. It is speculated that the PC version of "GTA6" may be postponed to the end of 2027 or even early 2028.
Rockstar released the trailer and updated its official website at the same time, announcing 70 game screenshots and character settings, including new scenes such as Vice City in Leonidas and the Grass River Wetland. The cooperative robbery, nightclub interaction, dynamic weather system and other gameplay shown in the trailer imply that the game will continue the "crime epic" narrative tradition while introducing AI-driven NPC behavior logic. Despite the uncertainty caused by the delay, players' expectations for "GTA6" are still high. This 12-year wait may usher in an open world revolution that can rewrite the rules of the industry on May 26, 2026.
