Will GTA VI change the way gamers discover music?

Scientists found life on another planet before we got GTA VI.

Rockstar dropped a new trailer this week to alleviate fans’ disappointment after delaying the game’s release to 26 May 2026. At this rate, we might actually make contact with aliens before anyone plays the next instalment of Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Rockstar’s modern, crime-driven role-playing game series. At least, that’s the joke amongst avid gamers.

The previous game in the series, GTA V, was released in 2013. After 12 years, its massive player community, including the 100,000 people who still play it every day via Steam alone, are driving the same streets and listening to the same radio stations on repeat. As impressive as GTA V’s catalogue is, it can’t stay fresh forever.

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This devoted community lives on GTA Online, GTA’s open-world online platform. Rockstar has now released over 40 expansions for GTA Online, and some of them have revolutionised the way gamers discover music.

With GTA VI’s main cast now revealed, we know that music plays a major role in the game’s environment and plot. Boobie Ike is the founder of the fictional Only Raw Records; Dre’Quan Priest is an aspiring artist on Only Raw; duo Real Dimez drop “spicy rap tracks” and have “a relentless social media presence”; and rapper DWNPLY helped elevate Real Dimez to fame. Reddit users have already spotted an in-game recording studio and DAW.

So, how might a return to Rockstar’s Vice City (based on Miami, Florida) shake up music scenes in the real world?

How GTA V changed the game for music fans

In the After Hours expansion for GTA V, players run nightclubs in Los Santos for which they can book real-life DJS: Dixon, The Blessed Madonna, Tale of Us, and Solomun. When Rockstar released The Cayo Perico Heist expansion, it added three new beloved acts for Cayo Perico Beach club: Keinemusik, Moodymann, and Palms Trax.

While DJ culture was popular in the global mainstream long before these expansions came out, it’s a safe bet that some GTA players discovered dance music through the game. In fact, GTA fans were probably converted to ravers thanks to Rockstar’s attention to detail.

To create an authentic virtual clubbing experience with exact replicas of the DJs, Rockstar hosted DJs and a party’s worth of guests for a real-life dance music event in 2018. Everyone present wore motion-capture suits which would translate their movements into the game engine.

The DJs performed original mixes, so the players hear an accurate in-game digitisation of what their sets would sound like at a real club. If a track catches the player’s ear, they can hold their phone up to the TV to ‘Shazam’ the track the same way ravers do at real-life clubs.

Rockstar chose selectors that were befitting of both clubbing environments they curated in GTA Online. Keinemusik’s chilled-out worldly beats are a fit for the sunny outdoor dancefloor of Cayo Perico, while the brooding melodic techno of Tale of Us is right at home in the dark barrens of Galaxy (one of nine names players can choose for their nightclub in the After Hours expansion).

As inviting as these expansions are to DJ culture, GTA Online players could listen to the genre long before they came out, thanks to the iconic in-game radio stations. Many famed artists, including Gilles Peterson, Joy Orbison, and Flying Lotus, helm radio stations in GTA V, and all of them recorded new mixes specifically for the online platform throughout their tenure. These stations stretch far beyond just dance music, too.

GTA players have been discovering music through the in-game radio for decades. There have been radio stations present in every game in the series. GTA II was the first game to expand beyond music composed for the game and into synced music with five licensed songs.

As GTA has grown into the powerhouse it is in 2025, more and more songs have been added to the radio stations. Celebrity guest stars include Axl Rose, George Clinton, Iggy Pop, and Kenny Loggins, who have all provided voices for each station’s DJ. The base GTA V game has 217 songs spread across 17 stations, mostly separated by genre. With online expansions, there are 404 tracks across 21 stations.

Many game franchises, such as Tony Hawk and FIFA, have developed a pristine reputation for licensed soundtracks. But GTA elevates the experience by giving the players unparalleled agency. Any player interested in music can select a different station to discover something new and change it in a moment if they don’t like what they’re hearing. Every GTA player undeniably has their favourite radio stations, which soundtrack their journeys across Los Santos and beyond.

The Jack of Hearts and Vice City’s potential

Finally, GTA VI is on the horizon. As of 6 May 2025, players have a new trailer giving them a sneak peek of the game. This new edition opens a wealth of potential for how gamers will discover new music.

Considering the series already ventured into live performance from real artists with After Hours, it is highly likely that GTA VI will host live music events, similar to Fortnite, bringing in digitised artists to perform for a virtual crowd. Plus, Rockstar’s latest info assures us that Boobie Ike’s strip club, Jack of Hearts, is a cornerstone venue in the game — perhaps this will act as a hub for these concerts.

We also know that Vice City is based on Miami — Rockstar could build a virtual version of the city’s famous Club Space for DJ nights. With the real-life record label Rockstar has curated in collaboration with party brand CircoLoco, a plethora of artists such as TOKiMONSTA, Jamie Jones, and Mochakk are already integrated into the Rockstar ecosystem.

For the major stars, there could be a virtual version of Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium in GTA VI. Should Travis Scott and Ariana Grande (and artists of a similar calibre who have performed in Fortnite) seek more performance opportunities in video games, GTA VI could be a viable option.

The difference between Fortnite and GTA VI, in terms of integrating famous artists, is that it’s unlikely GTA will replace their playable character with celebrities as Fortnite does — as recently shown with Sabrina Carpenter. Main characters in GTA have rich personalities, from GTA IV’s vengeful immigrant, Nico Bellic, to the reluctant gangster, CJ, in GTA San Andreas.

From a musical standpoint, such characters introduce the possibility of personalised playlists. GTA has had a mobile phone function since GTA Vice City; each playable character in GTA VI could have playlists on their phones in a streaming app that Rockstar invents just for the game. This could present another option for listening to music in the car, or there may be a headphone function to allow the player to listen while they’re walking around. And because of the ongoing nature of the game, these playlists could be updated over time, delivering a constant stream of new music.

GTA has always been known for pushing the limits of gameplay, so my predictions could even be shortsighted in terms of what Rockstar has planned. GTA V’s After Hours expansion allowed players to run their own club. Will there be an expansion for running an entire music festival? Perhaps running a booking agency? Maybe GTA VI will introduce a purchase function for their chain of record stores, Vinylism. Players could browse and purchase records that they could play in their virtual homes.

Rockstar’s games have endless scope. Alongside the GTA series, it also produced Red Dead Redemption II where, at the end of the game, players can spend hours doing monotonous farm work, and it’s somehow still fun.

The developers know fans have been waiting years for GTA VI, and they are not intending to disappoint. Factor that intention into their commitment to music, and players will surely find new tunes when they land in Vice City.

Check out all the latest info on GTA VI at rockstar.com

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