Rockstar Games released the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 Tuesday without any prior announcement, sending fans into a frenzy. The trailer, which arrived 17 months after the game was revealed in the first trailer, detailed Jason, the second playable protagonist of GTA 6. It also showed off the visual upgrades coming to Rockstar’s next game. The studio has now reiterated that the trailer footage was captured “entirely in-game» on a PS5 and included some gameplay along with cinematics.
GTA 6 Trailer 2 Included Gameplay
At the end of the GTA 6 trailer 2, Rockstar confirmed the footage was captured on PS5. But the high visual quality seen in the trailer led some fans to doubt the claim and speculate if the footage was from the higher-end PS5 Pro.
Rockstar, however, clarified a day later that all footage from the second trailer was indeed from a PlayStation 5. While the trailer seemed like it was composed of various cutscenes from the game, the developer also confirmed there was some gameplay footage in there too.
“Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 was captured entirely in-game from a PlayStation 5, comprised of equal parts gameplay and cutscenes,” Rockstar said in a post on X Wednesday, reposting the trailer.
Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 was captured entirely in-game from a PlayStation 5, comprised of equal parts gameplay and cutscenes. pic.twitter.com/JWFfVYm3on
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) May 7, 2025
The studio’s claim suggests GTA 6 is making the most of the current-gen console to deliver cutting-edge visuals. The graphical fidelity of the game, the detailed character models and environments stood out in the second trailer, leaving fans and others in the industry impressed. The fact that it was all running on a PS5 makes the tech behind GTA 6 all the more impressive.
Rockstar has always set a high standard for graphical quality in its games. GTA 5 was technically impressive when it first launched on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013. Red Dead Redemption 2, which released on PS4 and Xbox One in 2018, remains as one of the best-looking games on consoles.
Vice City looks highly detailed in GTA 6 screenshots shared by Rockstar
Photo Credit: Rockstar Games
From the two trailers and the several screenshots Rockstar posted on its website, GTA 6 looks like it would set a high bar for visuals on current-generation consoles. However, the graphical quality means the game could be capped to 30fps on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. Rockstar has not yet confirmed if the game would feature a 60fps performance mode at the cost of image quality.
The second GTA 6 trailer was released on May 6 days after Rockstar announced it was delaying the game to 2026. GTA 6 initially set a 2025 launch window, with Rockstar parent Take-Two later narrowing it down to Fall 2025. However, the studio said in its announcement last week that it needed additional time to launch GTA 6 at a quality level fans expect from it.
“With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve,” Rockstar had said while announcing the delay.
Following the announcement, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claimed Rockstar employees believed a delay was inevitable as there was not enough time to finish development work on the game to meet the Fall 2025 launch timeline.
“Too much work, not enough time, and what appears to be a real desire from management to avoid brutal crunch. GTA VI slipping to 2026 has seemed inevitable for months if not longer,” Schreier said.
Grand Theft Auto 6 will now release on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on May 26, 2026. The game is available to wishlist on PlayStation Store.
