Rockstar Games has finally delivered what fans have been waiting for years: announcing the exact pre-order date for Grand Theft Auto VI. Pre-orders will open next week—June 25, 2026. Along with this announcement, the developers shared a fresh image of Vice City, offering a new look at the iconic location.
GTA 6 is scheduled to release on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. As is typical with Rockstar, the PC version will arrive later. The game was delayed twice: initially, it was planned for fall 2025, then pushed back to May 2026, and finally, the November date was finally confirmed. Now that marketing is in full swing, there’s no need to fear further delays.
Along with the pre-order announcement, a new landing page featuring a refreshed look for Vice City was released on Rockstar’s official website. The image captures a city at night: planes and helicopters circle the sky, boats glide across the water, and a Ferris wheel, docks, and high-rise buildings are visible in the background. If you visit the website and scroll down, you’ll notice even more details—for example, a tennis court and an apartment building under construction.
Videotech on the social network X (formerly Twitter) has already posted a comparison of Vice City in 2023 and today. The difference is obvious: the modern version of the city is much more detailed, more dynamic, and literally brimming with life.
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What new details about Vice City can you discern in the published image?
The night shot of Vice City isn’t just a pretty picture. It contains many elements previously unseen in trailers. For starters, the image depicts not a static landscape, but a living, breathing location. Several aircraft—both airplanes and helicopters—circle the sky above the bay. Boats navigate the harbor waters, and the famous Ferris wheel—apparently a Miami-style local landmark—is also constantly in motion.
Car traffic swirls on the busy overpass, and illuminated billboards are beginning to illuminate the surrounding buildings. A light show can be seen on the wall of one of the high-rise buildings. In terms of scale, Vice City has clearly expanded: in addition to the familiar skyline with skyscrapers and docks, another island with buildings is visible in the background.
Fans have already begun analyzing every pixel. And it’s no surprise: Vice City is a location, and a true legend, first appearing in the 2002 hit GTA: Vice City. Over the years, the city has changed beyond recognition, and each new frame only fuels interest. Incidentally, enthusiasts on Discord have been reconstructing the Vice City map for several months using frames from trailers, and one fan even compiled it into a full-fledged 3D project, which you can fly around in a plane.
How does the new look of Vice City differ from previous GTA 6 footage?
Comparing the new images with what Rockstar showed in 2023, several key differences are noticeable. Firstly, the level of detail has increased—the city is now overgrown with small elements that weren’t there before. Secondly, the atmosphere has changed: while the first trailer emphasized sunset tones and melancholy with Tom Petty, Vice City is now shown at night, in motion, with an emphasis on urban life and neon aesthetics.
By the way, an extended version of this image is available on Rockstar’s official website—it comes to life as you scroll: cars are moving, wheels are spinning, and ads are playing. This screenshot is an animated scene that gives a better idea of what the city will look like in the game.
Rockstar itself describes Vice City as “the sunniest place in America.” The main characters, Jason and Lucia, find themselves on its dark side after an easy target draws them into a conspiracy that spans the entire state of Leonidas. Players will explore not only the metropolis itself but also its surroundings—Leonida Keys, the swampy Grassrivers, and other locations. Apparently, the scale of the map will be impressive: it’s the largest open world in Rockstar’s history.
So while fans review the new footage and speculate, all that remains is to wait until June 25th, when pre-orders finally become available. And November is just around the corner.
