Rockstar’s reveal of the GTA 6 cover may have hinted at the fate of a key character, as fans scour for references to GTA: Vice City.
GTA fans are known for forming theories based on tenuous evidence, and following the reveal of the GTA 6 cover art, the speculation is in overdrive.
Rockstar debuted the cover yesterday (June 18) and confirmed pre-orders for the highly anticipated sequel will start on June 25. It also showed off a new look at the revamped Vice City, which is the same Miami-inspired location used in 2002’s GTA: Vice City.
We know very little about GTA 6, aside from the central protagonists of Jason and Lucia, but some fans believe the cover could be hiding a spoiler for the game’s story.
As highlighted by fan account GTA 6 Countdown on X, the clothing worn by character Raul Bautista on the GTA 6 cover is the same white jacket and purple shirt combo Lance Vance sports in GTA: Vice City.
While you could pass this off as a cheeky nod, some fans have gone a step further on their speculation. If you’ve played GTA: Vice City, you’ll know (spoiler) that Lance Vance betrays protagonist Tommy Vercetti in the campaign’s final mission.
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As a result, some are taking this wardrobe choice as a potential sign that Raul could betray Jason and Lucia in GTA 6. ‘Please don’t let my boy Raul be a traitor,’ one person wrote on X.
‘Could be a deliberate detail to signal he will betray Jason and Lucia at some point, though not sure,’ another added.
Some, however, believe Rockstar could be trying to mislead fans on purpose. ‘Watch him being one of the few characters to stay loyal to the very end [sic],’ another wrote.
Rockstar has a track record of leaving breadcrumbs for fans, but this detail might be too obvious – especially as the betrayal in GTA: Vice City was arguably the most memorable part of the story.
Based on the game’s plot synopsis though, it sounds like some kind of betrayal is going to be thrown into the mix.
‘Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them,’ the synopsis reads on Rockstar’s website. ‘But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.’
If you want to dive further into the madness of GTA 6 speculation, one Redditor has questioned the alligator’s accuracy based on its teeth, while another has asked why there’s always a helicopter in the top left corner of every GTA cover.
GTA 6 is set to launch worldwide across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19, 2026.
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