GTA VI Has A Race Track, And Racing Looks Like A Much Bigger Deal In New Gameplay Trailer

Odysseus' long journey home has nothing on how it's felt waiting for "Grand Theft Auto VI" to come out. Though principal production began in 2020, the game wasn't officially announced until 2022, nearly a decade after GTA V was released. The first trailer dropped in late 2023 with a second following last spring, and since then there has been little official information or footage about the mega-blockbuster game (at least, aside from the seemingly endless stream of recent leaks), and fans across the world have been clamoring for more.

On Thursday afternoon, just a few months before its allegedly concrete release date of November 19, studio Rockstar Games put out a 27-minute-long "extended look" gameplay trailer, initially as a Netflix exclusive with the full video getting dropped onto YouTube hours later. There is so much to pore over here, especially for us car nerds, but the video confirmed one major aspect to the game that has been long-rumored and is sure to delight all of you Jalops: GTA VI will have an actual race track, and racing in general seems to be a much bigger part of the game than it was in past installments.

If you want to skip straight to the brief racing clips, scrub to 17:40, though be warned — the video is surely NSFW, and the racing clip is immediately preceded by some strip club action. This is "Grand Theft Auto," after all.

In GTA V, racing was a pretty minor aspect of the gameplay, with all of the action relegated to simple point-to-point street races, but in the new game it's legit racing. Most of the cars in the brief clip are race-prepped, with the player piloting a bewinged sedan that's clearly inspired by current BMWs like the 3 Series and 5 Series, complete with graphics in the M colors. Other cars on track are GTA versions of the Dodge Charger and Challenger, Ford Mustang, and Infiniti G35; they all have funny sponsor stickers and liveries. In the left corner is the mini-map, while in the bottom-right corner of the screen we can see a lap counter, a lap timer, and a display showing what position you're in.

Rockstar Games

Rockstar still has yet to release the map or any other racing-specific info, but according to leaks the track will be called Gellhorn International Raceway, and it's got a hell of a complex layout. The track is clearly inspired by Sebring — the fictional state of Leonida where the game takes place is based on Florida, so that makes sense — but much of the track design and layout also seems to pull from the Nürburgring, Le Mans and Monza. It's apparently pretty long, too, coming it at over than 3 miles, and there's at least one section where you'll get some air (surely one of many).

Judging by the leaks, there also seem to be drag strips and two different oval tracks, at least one of which is a dirt course, among other possible race tracks. For those who like their thrills on two wheels, there's also a bunch of dirt bike tracks and a motocross course, which is featured in the trailer. You'll also be able to ride scooters, drive boats, fly planes and helicopters, paddle kayaks, and try out all sorts of other modes of transportation. There's even an in-game rideshare service called Ryde Me, the exact sort of humor we come to these games for. Rockstar says GTA VI's map is double the size of GTA V's and three times that of "Red Dead Redemption 2," so surely there will be a lot more racing content to discover. 

Beyond the racing, there are lots of new car mechanics you'll have to contend with. Though it's not shown in the trailer, cars will apparently need to be filled up with gas, which will throw a wrench in a lot of peoples' criminal plans. You can choose between using a slim jim or smashing a window to steal a car, having to complete a minigame to do so and some vehicles have trackers and electronic locks that you'll need a key cloner for. In one part of the trailer, the player instantly switches between the two main characters, seamlessly transitioning from Jason driving a BMW E30-aping convertible to Lucia in the passenger seat, who then shoots up a cop chasing them. It's pretty awesome.

Rockstar Games

As for the cars themselves, they all look extraordinarily detailed, especially when it comes to the interiors. The game as a whole looks absolutely spectacular, especially when you realize this gameplay trailer was captured on a base PS5 — it certainly makes me feel better about still rocking my launch-day PS5. There should be a lot of variety in what kinds of vehicles you race, and the customization seems even more extensive than what we're used to in GTA V. The sense of speed looks a lot better than in the fifth game, and the vehicle physics overall seem like an absolutely massive leap forward. 

Hopefully Rockstar will keep releasing more information and in-game footage in the next three months leading up to the release of "Grand Theft Auto VI," but for now I'll just be rewatching this 27-minute video over and over and over again.