GTA 6 Trailer 1: every confirmed detail

Quick answer

• Rockstar released Trailer 1 on December 4, 2023. It runs 1:31 and came out hours early because it leaked.
• It set the first release window: 2025, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. That window has since moved twice; the current date is November 19, 2026.
• Take-Two's press release the same day confirmed the setting: the state of Leonida, home of Vice City.
• The song is "Love Is A Long Road" by Tom Petty, from his 1989 album Full Moon Fever.
• Guinness World Records confirmed it broke three YouTube records in its first 24 hours.

Watch Trailer 1

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 1, from Rockstar's own YouTube channel. Rockstar also hosts it on its GTA VI videos page.

What Trailer 1 confirmed

Rockstar's post for the trailer carries one line of release information: "Coming 2025 to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S." Take-Two's press release the same day put it in writing: Grand Theft Auto VI was "coming to PlayStation® 5 computer entertainment systems and Xbox Series X|S games and entertainment systems in 2025."

The same release confirmed the setting: "Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet." Rockstar's two earlier announcements, in February 2022 and November 2023, named no setting, so this was the first time Rockstar officially named Leonida and Vice City for the game.

Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games, said in the release: "Grand Theft Auto VI continues our efforts to push the limits of what's possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences." He added: "We're thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere."

The press release also said "Grand Theft Auto VI is not yet rated." The ESRB rating came later; see the ESRB age rating guide.

What the trailer says

Rockstar's YouTube upload has English captions. Two exchanges stand out, quoted exactly as the captions give them:

• "Lucia... Do you know why you're here? Bad luck, I guess."
• "The only way... We're gonna get through this... Is by sticking together. Being a team. Woohoo! Trust? Trust."

The captions name Lucia. Neither earlier Rockstar announcement named a character, so this was the first time Rockstar put a name to either lead. The male lead is not named in Trailer 1; Rockstar's GTA VI site now profiles him as Jason Duval. For everything confirmed about the two since, see the characters guide.

The song: Love Is A Long Road

Trailer 1 is built around "Love Is A Long Road" by Tom Petty, credited in Rockstar's YouTube description. It is from his 1989 album Full Moon Fever. Tom Petty's official site confirmed it two days after the trailer.

The same post points out a detail in the trailer itself: a "Petty Forever" sticker using the color scheme from the Full Moon Fever album cover art. It also notes Rockstar had used Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream" for GTA: San Andreas in 2004.

Rockstar has not said whether the song plays in the game itself. For what is confirmed about in-game music, see the radio and soundtrack guide.

Why it came out early

Trailer 1 was not meant to arrive when it did. Guinness World Records notes the trailer was "released earlier than scheduled due to a leak a few hours prior." Rockstar's YouTube upload is timestamped December 4, 2023 at 3:07 pm Pacific.

The records it broke

Guinness World Records confirmed three records from the trailer's first 24 hours:

• Most viewed videogame trailer on YouTube in 24 hours: 90,421,491 views.
• Most liked videogame trailer on YouTube: 8.9 million likes in the first 24 hours.
• Most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours (non-music), surpassing Mr. Beast.

Where it sits in the timeline

Trailer 1 was the first official look at the game after Rockstar confirmed development in February 2022. What followed:

• Trailer 1: December 4, 2023 (1:31).
• Trailer 2: May 6, 2025 (2:47). See the Trailer 2 breakdown.
• An Extended Look: August 27, 2026 (26:48).
• Launch Trailer: October 15, 2026 (1:30). See the Launch Trailer breakdown.
• Release: November 19, 2026.

The 2025 window in Trailer 1 did not hold. For every official date and both delays, see the release date history.

Not confirmed yet

• A scene-by-scene list. Rockstar's pages do not describe the shots, so this guide does not either.
• Whether "Love Is A Long Road" is in the game, and on which radio station.
• Who speaks each captioned line. The captions name Lucia in the first exchange; the other speakers are not named.
• Anything from leaks, datamined files or fan theories. This page does not repeat them.

Wrap-up

Trailer 1 did three jobs in 91 seconds: it confirmed the game, the setting and the first window. Two delays later the date is November 19, 2026, but everything else it established (Leonida, Vice City, Lucia, the tone) is still the foundation every later trailer builds on.

When did GTA 6 Trailer 1 come out?

December 4, 2023. Guinness World Records says it was released earlier than scheduled because of a leak a few hours before.

What song is in GTA 6 Trailer 1?

"Love Is A Long Road" by Tom Petty, from his 1989 album Full Moon Fever. Tom Petty's official site confirmed it, and pointed out a "Petty Forever" sticker in the trailer.

What did GTA 6 Trailer 1 confirm?

The game existed, its first release window (2025), its platforms (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S), and its setting: the state of Leonida, home of Vice City. The current release date is November 19, 2026.

Is the GTA 6 Trailer 1 record still standing?

Guinness World Records still lists Trailer 1 as the most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours (non-music), with 90,421,491 views as of 5 December 2023.