Summary
CallingGrand Theft Auto 6highly anticipated would be an understatement. TheGTA 6reveal trailer broke recordsand sent the internet into a frenzy, with fans of the franchise scrutinizing the 90-second video for any possible hints relating to gameplay, narrative, or setting, but this is nothing new; Rockstar’s games have always been subject to intense analysis and speculation, and this is likely to continue even afterGTA 6releases.
The wait forGTA 6has stretched to an arduous point, leading large portions of the fanbase to grasp at straws, searching for any possible clues about the long-awaited game. Tweets from Rockstar, interviews with the actors fromGTA 5, and various minute details in previousGTAgames have all been fair game when it comes to analyses leading toGTA 6information. EvenRed Dead Redemption 2was scoured for possible references to the action-crime franchise, with players coming to a number of different conclusions based on the content of the former.
Lines can be drawnbetweenRed Dead Redemption 2andGTA 6, as both franchises share similar design philosophies despite their wildly different tones and gameplay formulas. Both series reference each other in many ways, mainly through run-of-the-mill Easter eggs, but players have probed a bit deeper, with many asserting that certain similarities betweenRed Dead 2andGTApoint to both games being set in the same universe or being otherwise canonically linked.
One of the most commonly discussedRed Dead Redemption 2theories has to do with Guarma, the tropical island that Arthur and company get stranded on in chapter five. Theorists have posited thatGuarma was a test forGTA 6, either to see how players would respond to a next-gen tropical environment, or to save money on development by reusing assets. Admittedly, this theory is a bit far-fetched, but it speaks to just how observant and reference-hungry many players are. There is every reason to believe that a mirrored version of this phenomenon will occur whenGTA 6releases.
The Guarma theory has become popular in large part because of the controversial nature of the island’s inclusion inRed Dead 2: many players feel that the Guarma chapter is out of place and irrelevant, hence why they believe Rockstar had other motivations behind its inclusion.
Any Western-Related Details in GTA 6 Will Be Picked Apart
WithGTA 6taking place in Vice City, a parody of modern Miami filled with party animals and beach lovers, the game isn’t likely to have many overt references to the world explored by the heroes ofRed Dead Redemption. But that won’t stop fans from keeping an eye out for details pointing to the setting, premise, or protagonists ofRed Dead Redemption 3. If there’s a mention of Mexico, players will theorize that it will be the setting forRDR3; if a character mentions how their great-grandmother was a famous bounty hunter, it will be looked at as evidence that Sadie Adler is set to be the protagonist of the third game; and so on.
Although the granular nature of some video game theories can border on comical at times, there’s nothing inherently wrong with them, even if they can be stretches. After all,GTA 6could very well prove the shared universeor Guarma theories. Ultimately, this sort of scrutiny comes from a place of passion and anticipation, which are two things gamers have in spades when it comes toRed Dead Redemption 3andGrand Theft Auto 6.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
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.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
