GTA 6 Car Culture Is Absolutely Unhinged In New Extended Gameplay
Rockstar Games has finally given us an extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI, and while most people are dissecting Lucia and Jason’s criminal exploits across Leonida, we were busy looking at the traffic. The roughly 27-minute presentation premiered on Netflix on August 27 before its wider release through Rockstar, with the footage captured entirely in-game on PlayStation 5. GTA VI itself launches November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
More importantly for us, Rockstar appears to be going considerably deeper into car culture. Within this first extended gameplay look alone, we spotted everything from an E30-era BMW-inspired convertible and a classic Chevelle-style muscle car to wildly modified Japanese street racers, an actual circuit-racing scene and dirt bikes tearing through the countryside. Vice City might have a crime problem, but apparently it also has an extremely healthy Cars & Coffee scene.
GTA 6 Has Cars For Almost Every Kind Of Enthusiast
One of the more understated cars shown is a red convertible that clearly pulls inspiration from the 1980s BMW 3 Series, particularly the E30 generation. Rockstar doesn’t license vehicles under their real-world names, so calling it an actual BMW would go too far, but the boxy profile, proportions, wheels and convertible layout make the influence pretty difficult to miss.
That’s already considerably more interesting than filling Leonida’s streets entirely with modern anonymous crossovers. Then we get some classic American muscle. Another scene shows a red two-door coupe with clear Chevrolet Chevelle-era influences, complete with long bodywork, chrome trim and the kind of proportions that should make it perfect for cruising through Rockstar’s fictional take on Florida.
The variety fits the environment Rockstar has built. Leonida is inspired by Florida, with Vice City at its center, while Rockstar describes Jason and Lucia’s story as stretching across the state after an attempted score drags them into a larger criminal conspiracy.
From the footage we’ve seen so far, that sprawling map is going to give those cars plenty of places to stretch their legs.
The Street-Racing Scene Looks Like Need For Speed Invaded GTA
Things get much crazier once Rockstar turns toward modified cars. One sequence puts the player directly behind a heavily customized Japanese coupe resembling an R34-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R, although again, Rockstar’s fictional vehicle universe means we wouldn’t label it as an actual Nissan. The visual language is pure early-2000s street racing. Huge rear wing, graphics covering nearly every body panel, bright circular taillights, aggressive aero and glowing underbody lighting make the car look like it escaped from an old Need for Speed Underground save file.
Several other modified cars appear alongside it, suggesting GTA VI could have a much more developed street-racing scene than simply finding a fast car and driving away from the police. Rockstar hasn’t detailed exactly how deep vehicle customization, organized street racing or car-meet systems will go, so anything beyond what appears in the footage would be speculation. However, cars clearly remain a major part of the presentation. Even Netflix categorizes the extended look with descriptors including “High-Octane” and “Cars.”
GTA 6 Apparently Has Proper Circuit Racing Too
Street racing isn’t the only motorsport Rockstar showed. Another sequence places the player behind a heavily modified BMW-inspired race car on a closed circuit surrounded by other competition-prepared vehicles. We’re talking full aero, enormous rear wings, racing liveries, barriers and an actual pack of cars fighting for position rather than another illegal sprint through downtown Vice City. That could represent one of the biggest opportunities for car enthusiasts in GTA VI.
GTA V already offered a massive vehicle ecosystem, but putting dedicated circuit racing alongside street cars, classics, off-road machines and everything else shown here suggests Rockstar wants the automotive side of Leonida to feel like an actual culture rather than simply transportation between missions.
And it doesn’t stop at four wheels.
Even GTA 6’s Dirt Bikes Get Their Own Racing Scene
The extended look also shows a group of dirt-bike riders attacking a rough trail through Leonida’s countryside. The player’s bike follows several competitors through ruts and loose dirt while spectators watch from the hillside. That fits with other reporting from the gameplay reveal, which highlights activities and random interactions including dirt biking as Rockstar expands what players can actually do outside the main storyline. Combined with the circuit racing and tuner cars, it paints a much broader picture of GTA VI’s vehicle world.
You’ve got classic European cars. American muscle. Japanese tuner culture. Professional-style circuit racing. Dirt bikes. Modern traffic. And presumably whatever absolute mechanical disaster players create once Los Santos Customs’ spiritual successor opens its doors.
We still need Rockstar to explain exactly how deep the customization and racing systems go, but the first extended gameplay look makes one thing pretty obvious: car enthusiasts are going to lose an irresponsible number of hours in Leonida. At this rate, Jason and Lucia might finish their criminal conspiracy before we finish choosing wheels.
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