Grand Theft Auto VI’s upcoming release is going to be about as big as it gets in the world of video games, with millions of players set to login on day one to see what developer Rockstar has been cooking up over the last few years.
It will undoubtedly be pretty exciting, but it’s important to remember that it will also be a bit of a layered launch, with the multiplayer release coming some time after the game drops initially.
That means that, in the first instance, it’s going to be all about the story and the single-player mode more generally, so delivering on that experience will be absolutely crucial. What we’ve seen so far in the game’s two trailers looks very promising, but there are a lot of unanswered questions, including how long the main narrative will be, and that’s proving to be a little more controversial than Rockstar might have expected.
How Long Will GTA 6’s Story Mode Be?
The Ultimate · GTA Challenge Wanted Level: Trivia “You forget a thousand things every day — make sure this ain’t one of ’em.”
Eight questions from across the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Every wrong answer is a plausible decoy — you’ll need real knowledge to go eight for eight.
LS Los Santos Wire Editorial 8 questions · 3 min read
🏙CitiesWelcome to LS
🎮GameplayWasted!
🎭CharactersAll we had, CJ
📸CultureSatirical genius
🏆LegacySince 1997
01
Liberty City is one of the most iconic locations in the GTA franchise. Which real-world city is it primarily based on?
✓ Correct! Liberty City is Rockstar’s fictional version of New York City, featuring boroughs modeled after Manhattan (Algonquin), Brooklyn (Broker), Queens (Dukes), the Bronx (Bohan), and New Jersey (Alderney).
✗ Wasted! The answer is New York City. Liberty City mirrors NYC with its boroughs, landmarks, and gritty atmosphere — first appearing in the original GTA and most fully realized in GTA IV.
02
In GTA: San Andreas, CJ’s Grove Street Families are locked in a turf war with a purple-wearing rival gang. What are they called?
✓ Correct! The Ballas, identifiable by their purple clothing, are the primary antagonists in the gang warfare storyline of San Andreas. Their rivalry with Grove Street drives much of the game’s plot.
✗ Wasted! The answer is The Ballas. Wearing purple and controlling territory across Los Santos, they’re CJ’s main rivals. The Vagos and Aztecas are other gangs in the game, but The Ballas are the primary enemy.
03
GTA: Vice City featured a Hollywood star voicing protagonist Tommy Vercetti. Which actor brought him to life?
✓ Correct! Ray Liotta, famous for his role in Goodfellas, voiced Tommy Vercetti. His iconic performance helped establish GTA: Vice City as one of the most memorable entries in the series.
✗ Wasted! The answer is Ray Liotta. Known for playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas, Liotta brought the same charismatic menace to Tommy Vercetti in Vice City’s neon-soaked 1980s Miami setting.
04
In GTA V, which of the three playable protagonists is a retired bank robber living in a mansion under witness protection with a dysfunctional family?
✓ Correct! Michael De Santa (formerly Townley) faked his death and entered witness protection in Rockford Hills. His midlife crisis and return to crime drive much of GTA V’s story.
✗ Wasted! The answer is Michael De Santa. Living under an assumed name in his Vinewood mansion, Michael’s boredom with retirement and troubled family life pull him back into the criminal world.
05
In earlier 3D-era GTA games, touching water meant instant death. Which game in the series first introduced the ability to swim?
✓ Correct! GTA: San Andreas finally let players swim, dive, and even improve CJ’s lung capacity through practice. In GTA III and Vice City, falling into water was a death sentence.
✗ Wasted! The answer is GTA: San Andreas (2004). It was the first game in the 3D era to add swimming as a mechanic, ending the long-running joke of criminals who couldn’t survive a puddle.
06
GTA V satirizes real-world tech culture with a fictional social media company. What is it called?
✓ Correct! Lifeinvader is GTA V’s parody of Facebook, complete with a Steve Jobs–style CEO named Jay Norris. The “Friend Request” mission involving Lifeinvader is one of the game’s most memorable moments.
✗ Wasted! The answer is Lifeinvader. It’s GTA V’s satirical take on Facebook. Bleeter is the game’s Twitter parody, and Eyefind is its Google equivalent — but Lifeinvader is the social media giant.
07
The very first Grand Theft Auto was originally developed by DMA Design (now Rockstar North). What year was it released?
✓ Correct! The original Grand Theft Auto launched in 1997 for PC and PlayStation. Its controversial top-down open-world gameplay sparked both outrage and a multibillion-dollar franchise.
✗ Wasted! The answer is 1997. The original GTA was a top-down game developed by DMA Design in Dundee, Scotland. Despite its humble graphics, the open-world crime concept was revolutionary.
08
Trevor Philips runs his own criminal enterprise out of Sandy Shores in GTA V. What is the official name of his business?
✓ Correct! Trevor Philips Enterprises (T.P.E.) is Trevor’s self-styled business, primarily dealing in weapons and methamphetamine. Only Trevor would give his criminal operation a corporate-sounding name.
✗ Wasted! The answer is Trevor Philips Enterprises. Abbreviated T.P.E., it’s Trevor’s hilariously legitimate-sounding name for his meth and arms dealing operation in the Blaine County desert.
Mission Complete Your Criminal Record
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/ 8
Did you pass — or did you get wasted?
Over on Reddit, one fan asked the community what their ideal scenario would be for GTA VI, in terms of the length of the main story. The responses were hugely varied, with plenty of differing approaches from what is a very broad player base.
“50 hours story. 80 with side quests. 100-150 for 100%,” one of the most popular comments put forward.
Another wanted to see Rockstar really go for it, saying, “GTA V’s story mode seemed so short that it was really something that disappointed me. So I hope GTA VI at least has a slightly longer story.”
On the even more extreme end of the scale, another said, “As long as possible. I didn’t wait 13 years or however long to beat the game in 4 days like I did GTA V. Or ~8 days for RDR2. 100+ hours just for the main story alone (not including the side quests) would be awesome. But I’m not holding my breath.”
If the comments prove anything, it’s that Rockstar is going to have a mightily difficult time balancing the expectations of arguably the biggest fan base that any game has to deal with.
Story Mode Aside, GTA 6 Will Have Tons To Do
GTA 6 Characters playing poolRockstar Games
Regardless of how long the main narrative is, there is going to be a lot of stuff to do along the way, between different side activities, other missions and random encounters. If we use Red Dead Redemption 2 as a guide, getting 100% completion in that game can take a staggering 200 hours, so it’s probably fair to expect something similar here.
We should be getting a much better look at GTA VI over the next few months, with a third trailer expected about six months out from launch in May. In the meantime, it’s going to continue to be all about leaks and speculation until Rockstar sets pre-orders live for the first time.
