The trailer broke the Guinness World Record for the most watched videogame reveal in a single day when over 90 million views were received on its first day of release. In the non-music category of YouTube videos, that smashes through MrBeast's record 59 million views for his video "7 Days Stranded at Sea," a video has drawn nearly 200 million total views since it was posted in August.
In comparison to other high-profile recent game trailers, Cyberpunk 2077's 2019 video has received 17 million views to date. Watches of the first teaser trailer for Starfield total 18 million. The views on Hogwarts Legacy are 28 million. All of those are fantastic figures, but in only the first 24 hours, the reveal of GTA 6 has already surpassed them.
Even so, the GTA 6 teaser was nowhere near as popular as BTS's "Butter" music video, which amassed over 108 million views on its first day and currently has around one billion views overall since it debuted two years ago. That BTS record also surpasses the results of the second-place 24-hour finisher, BTS, whose "Dynamite" video received 101 million views in its first day.
How does the trailer for GTA 6 compare to that of GTA 5, which was also launched in 2011 and earned an incredible 100 million views? Compared to GTA 6's trailer, which was grabbed on the same day, it took a full 12 years to obtain them.
GTA 6 Message is as Bold & Clear As Lucia’s
Grand Theft Auto 6 has long been the subject of rumors about a female and male protagonist. These rumors first gained traction in the wake of the extremely catastrophic leaks that Rockstar suffered regarding the game back in early 2022. Given that the most recent Grand Theft Auto 6 reveal trailer confirmed both the game's Vice City setting and the existence of a female lead, these leaks seem to have had a lot of merit. The following are the key conclusions from the Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer:
- Vice City as the central site
- protagonists, both male and female;
- 2025 release date
- launched exclusively on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S at first.
Naturally, Grand Theft Auto's debut of a female protagonist in Lucia marks a revolutionary first for the franchise, as all previous entries in the series have only had playable male protagonists. With Lucia ushering in a much-needed change to this historic practice, Rockstar made it apparent what they wanted fans to know from these initial, unofficial looks at Grand Theft Auto 6's design.
Lucia’s Prominent Presence
The trailer revolves around Lucia, first showing her time in prison and then showing her life of crime with Grand Theft Auto 6's unidentified male protagonist. According to the previously reported leaks, this character is named Jason, and the clip also seems to corroborate the reports that Lucia and Jason from Grand Theft Auto 6 are dating.
It's important to remember that Grand Theft Auto 6 will probably release story trailers in the upcoming years. Jason will probably also ultimately get his promotional film, which will provide more context for his motivations and character. Having said that, it is a clear indication of the game's intentions as Lucia is the main character in the first trailer.
This may indicate that, even though Jason and Lucia may ultimately have similar screen time, Lucia has a stronger lead presence throughout Grand Theft Auto 6. Those who have played Grand Theft Auto 5 will recall that Michael, one of the three memorable characters in the game, had a similar role in the story. Grand Theft Auto 6 appears to be primarily telling Lucia's tale at this point, indicating that Rockstar is putting a lot of effort into creating the IP's first female protagonist—one that fans will remember for years to come.
The Verdict
Grand Theft Auto 6 fans have been waiting ten years for official information, and on December 4th, the first trailer was released. Notwithstanding some controversy surrounding the trailer's early leak and hurried formal release, it has finally been praised as an exciting first look at the kinds of experiences the next game is trying to depict.
As expected, the initial quick teaser for Grand Theft Auto 6 merely provided a broad synopsis of the main character, Lucia, and did not reveal too much about other characters or significant story points. One of the most crucial glimpses into Rockstar's intentions for GTA 6 is the emphasis placed on Lucia specifically at the game's historic unveiling. This early emphasis on the game marks a significant divergence from the franchise's traditions.
