Trailers
GTA 6 Launch Trailer: Date, Song and What It Shows
The short answer
Rockstar released the GTA 6 Launch Trailer on October 15, 2026: 90 seconds captured on PS5, with a new Justice song. What it shows and what it leaves out.
The GTA 6 Launch Trailer came out on Thursday, October 15, 2026, on Rockstar's YouTube channel and its GTA VI site. It runs about 90 seconds, was captured on PS5, and debuts "Flower in a Hurricane" by Justice, the French duo Rockstar now names as the composers of the game's original score.
It is Rockstar's fourth GTA 6 video, after Trailer 1, Trailer 2 and An Extended Look, and it arrived 35 days before the November 19 launch with no advance notice (Kotaku, Eurogamer). Nothing about the date, platforms or price changed.
What the Launch Trailer shows
This is a story trailer, cut like a film trailer, not a gameplay video (IGN). Rockstar's description repeats the game's setup: Jason and Lucia's easy score goes wrong, and they end up in a criminal conspiracy that runs across the state of Leonida.
The new part is Jason's own account of his past. "I got in some trouble in the army. Didn't leave on the best of terms," he says over the opening, as both IGN and Kotaku transcribe it, adding that people like him don't get loans. That matches his Rockstar bio, which says he served in the Army before ending up in the Keys, and gives a reason for the crime spree in his own words.
IGN and Eurogamer both noticed an ankle tag on Lucia and a phone call to Jason early on. Her Rockstar bio already puts her in the Leonida Penitentiary, so both outlets read the call as Lucia getting in touch from prison or on parole. That is their reading; Rockstar has not explained the scene. The rest of the trailer is heists, chases and gunfights across Vice City.
The trailer opens with "Plays best on PS5" and says the footage was captured on PS5 (IGN, VGC). VGC notes that Rockstar does not say whether that was a base PS5 or a PS5 Pro.
The song, and who wrote the score
"Flower in a Hurricane" is by Justice featuring Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Rockstar's launch trailer page calls Justice the game's "original score composers", the first time Rockstar has named who wrote the score. The song is also the ninth single on Rockstar's music page for Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, which comes out with the game on November 19. More on our song page.
Four videos in three years
| Video | Date | Days before launch |
|---|---|---|
| Trailer 1 | December 4, 2023 | 1,081 |
| Trailer 2 | May 6, 2025 | 562 |
| An Extended Look | August 27, 2026 | 84 |
| Launch Trailer | October 15, 2026 | 35 |
Our count from Rockstar's release dates and the November 19, 2026 launch. Rockstar does not call any of them "Trailer 3".
What it means for players
Our take: if you have been waiting for one more look before deciding on GTA 6, this is it, but it is a mood piece, not new information about how the game plays. For that, the Extended Look is still the better watch. The useful details are small: Jason's army past now has his own words, Lucia's ankle tag hints at how her story starts, and naming Justice tells you the music between radio stations is getting the same star treatment as the album. We expected a launch trailer in release week, so its arrival five weeks out suggests Rockstar wants a long run of TV and cinema ads, though it has not announced any. Rockstar also hasn't said this is the last trailer, but with preloading opening on November 12, we would not hold off a decision waiting for another one.
FAQ
When did the GTA 6 Launch Trailer come out?
Thursday, October 15, 2026, on Rockstar's YouTube channel and its GTA VI site, 35 days before launch.
What song is in the GTA 6 Launch Trailer?
"Flower in a Hurricane" by Justice, featuring Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. It is on Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album.
Is the GTA 6 Launch Trailer gameplay?
No. It is about 90 seconds of story scenes, captured on PS5 according to the trailer itself. The Extended Look from August 27, 2026 is the gameplay video.
Is the Launch Trailer GTA 6 Trailer 3?
Not by name. Rockstar calls it the Launch Trailer, its fourth GTA 6 video after Trailer 1, Trailer 2 and An Extended Look.
Sources
- Grand Theft Auto VI Launch Trailer (Rockstar Games) (Oct 15, 2026)
- Grand Theft Auto VI Launch Trailer (Rockstar Games, YouTube) (Oct 15, 2026)
- The Music of Grand Theft Auto VI (Rockstar Games) (Oct 15, 2026)
- GTA 6 Launch Trailer Teases Jason's Troubled Past (IGN) (Oct 15, 2026)
- Surprise, Here's A New Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer (Kotaku) (Oct 15, 2026)
- Rockstar has revealed the launch trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 (VGC) (Oct 15, 2026)
- Grand Theft Auto 6 launch trailer suddenly drops (Eurogamer) (Oct 15, 2026)
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