I was very struck byGrand Theft Auto 6’snewest trailerin how it depicted dual protagonists Jason and Lucia, but mostly because of howvagueit felt. TheGTAseries has long satirised and commented on modern society and politics, and many (myself included) doubted that it would be able to replicate this in GTA 6 considering how absurd and beyond parody our own reality has become since the release of GTA 5 in 2013.
How could a game that’s taken over a decade to make possibly feel timely? Things are too absurd now and move too fast for satire to feel truly biting. Reality is so extreme that joke headlines come true on a regular basis. It just doesn’t seem feasible for GTA 6 to do this sort of satire justice.
Accuracy Isn’t Satire
I will say upfront that GTA 6 feelsaccurate, if not satirical. This latest trailer doesn’t get into the plot of the game and mostly coasts on vibes, but what we see of the game’s world feels true to reality. We see unhoused people begging for coins outside convenience stores, cops pulled over on the sidewalk and pushing people around, lavish displays of wealth at clubs. A police officer says, “Us cops, we’ve gotta protect each other.”
Sure, there’s violence, fights, ridiculous action set pieces, and one particularly humorous ad for a gun store, but by and large, most of its world feels like it could be out of a grounded, slightly comedic television show. The trailer just doesn’t have any of GTA’s signature bite. The closest thing we see to satire is Jason’s friend Cal Hampton, who’s a bit of an online conspiracy theorist with an over the top personality.
Itlooks a lot like Cal is played by The Bear’s Matty Matheson, which would be awesome if true. Man, I love that guy.
All The Obvious Targets Of Satire Are Missing
TheGamer’s Editor-in-Chief Stacey Henley has saidshe believes that GTA 6 is still a work of political satire, but I’m not so sure I agree. I think that for satire toreallyhit, it has to feel topical and timely. I can’t say that GTA 6, at least from what we’ve seen in the second trailer, really pulls that off.
The first trailer was stuffed full of dated memes and references to Florida, which does at least seem to be making more of an attempt at satire, but this new trailer feels like it’s floating adrift in time. The most obvious target of American political satire, Donald Trump, is nowhere to be seen. There’s no mention of common political talking points, no MAGA imagery, no allusion to the pandemic, nothing. It portrays Floridian culture, yes, so it feels grounded in place and in the present, but it doesn’t hit the timeliness that’s so important for it to achieve.
Don’t get me wrong,a more grounded story about two lovebirds might still be a great one. I, for one, am thrilled to see a Bonnie and Clyde style Grand Theft Auto approaching in the near future. But to see Rockstar shying away from direct parody and sharp, timely satire, likely as a result of its long development cycle, is a little strange.
It seems like what we all suspected has come to pass: GTA 6 simply can’t feel timely because it took a decade-plus to make. That doesn’t mean it won’t be a good game, but I’m doubtful that it’ll be able to keep its satirical edge.
