GTA 6 officially releases next month, so we’re taking a look at how the game’s two protagonists, Jason and Lucia, have evolved since their 2023 reveal.
If there’s one thing Rockstar has consistently managed to achieve, it’s that its finished games often look better than the reveal trailers. That isn’t the case for many game studios. In fact, a lot of games have been slammed for being downgraded between their reveals and launches. Watch Dogs, Cyberpunk 2077, and BioShock Infinite are all solid games, but they looked even better when they were initially revealed.
GTA 6 appears to have only visually improved over time, and that is most evident in the level of detail on protagonists Jason and Lucia. In 2023, we got our first official look at GTA 6 with the first trailer. There had been some leaks prior to this, but this was the first time Rockstar showed the game itself. The game looked stunning with gorgeous lighting effects, vivid colors, and realistic-looking characters. Rockstar would then go dark for a year and a half before re-revealing the game, and the graphical leap was absurdly impressive.
Compared to the 2023 trailer, GTA 6’s visuals have drastically changed. The overall art direction remained the same, but the level of detail presented in the character models changed massively during this period. In the first trailer, Lucia’s skin looks less textured, more flat, and less nuanced. Her hair also doesn’t move much; there’s a bit of bounce to her ponytail, but it’s more limited. She also has the same hairstyle throughout the entire trailer, outside of some loose strands of hair on the sides of her face in the opening shots.
Jason only gets a few seconds to shine, but he largely looks like a generic white guy with his shaved head and stubble. Trailer 2, however, provides a lot more depth. Both characters sport a variety of hairstyles, with Lucia rocking wavy hair and a golden dress. Jason’s brown hair flows out of the back of his hat. His skin glistens after sweating in the Vice City heat, his veins outline his arms, and his facial hair appears to be somewhat uneven, with certain strands of hair poking out slightly further than others. These human imperfections are perfections in the world of a video game trying to emulate realistic people. The light also bounces off of their skin in a more natural way.
It’s a clear showcase of not only the level of detail, but also the amount of customization the player will have. That mindset carried into the recent extended look for GTA 6. The visual leap wasn’t as large as the one between trailer 1 and 2, but it does feel like a world of difference from trailer 1 itself. There’s infinitely more customization options and Jason and Lucia are clearly at their final level of polish.
Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson recently stated that trailer 1 was a “mission statement” for the team, as the game wasn’t “fully formed.” It was a north star for the team to follow and something they could point to as a way of understanding the overall vision for the game. As a result, it makes sense that the game has only improved since then.
GTA 6 is just weeks away from release now and the finishing touches are being added to the game. The ESRB officially rated the game M for Mature this morning and Rockstar is starting to ramp up its marketing efforts with physical ads in places like Miami and New York. After years of waiting, GTA 6 will finally be here on November 19.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.