Grand Theft Auto 6 could very well be the biggest video game release of all time, but it won't be without its controversies. Even something like Red Dead Redemption 2, a widely beloved and ambitious Rockstar project, suffered from negative feedback at launch, and that game didn't feature the biting political and social critiques of the GTA series.
Indeed, if Grand Theft Auto 6 is anything like its predecessors, one of its main narrative goals will be to hold up a skewed mirror to American society; the franchise has always been satirical, poking fun at everything from private militias to radio shows. Naturally, the content and context of this satirical writing changes depending on the state of the world when a given game releases: GTA 5, for instance, released in 2013 and therefore flung a lot of venom at the Silicon Valley, Zuckerberg-influenced tech bro culture that was rising to prominence during that time. In other words, good satire is timely, and GTA is definitely good satire. It's for these reasons that Rockstar co-founder and former Vice President of Creativity Dan Houser said in 2018 that he was glad that GTA 6 wouldn't be releasing during the Trump era of global politics. It looks like Houser's relief was premature, though, for obvious reasons.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Should Bite the Bullet on a Feature GTA 5 Skipped
Grand Theft Auto 5 never got an increasingly popular console feature, but Rockstar ought to take another crack at it with Grand Theft Auto 6.
Dan Houser Didn't Want GTA 6 Releasing During the Trump Presidency
Explaining Houser's Comments About GTA 6 and Trump
While one could reasonably interpret Rockstar's games as left-leaning, it's crucial to note that they don't often explicitly choose a side. This is especially true of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, which takes aim at hardcore conservatives and radical progressives alike. It's through this lens of indiscriminate criticism and satire that Dan Houser made his comments about releasing GTA 6 during the Trump era.
Speaking to GQ in 2018, Houser noted that the contentious political circumstances of the first Trump administration would have made Rockstar's approach to GTA 6's satire "really unclear," and suggested that such satire would cause more of an uproar than it may have otherwise. In essence, these concerns boil down to political extremism on both sides: Houser seemingly believed that the fervor of both liberals and conservatives would be difficult to satirize, as their behavior was becoming more and more like satire itself.
Houser also expressed concerns about GTA 6 keeping up with the modern political climate, stating that the game's satire "would be out of date within two minutes."
Part and parcel of this extreme political atmosphere is the potential for greater outrage. It's not clear whether GTA 6 will make fun of modern politics, but it's certainly possible: the franchise hasn't been bearish about such topics in the past, and GTA 6 could easily make fun of Trump himself via the Donald Love character, who is clearly inspired by the infamous billionaire-turned-politician. Conversely, progressives may be more sensitive to certain jokes or characterizations, since so many social issues have become more dire, and are no longer a laughing matter, as it were.
Will GTA 6 Face Backlash in the Trump Era?
It's no great secret that Grand Theft Auto has been in the crosshairs of alarmists and culture critics for decades. The "cop-killing" of previous GTA games has been relentlessly lambasted, as have various sexual and vulgar activities, scenes, mechanics, et cetera. It's not clear if and how this will apply to GTA 6, but there are a few possibilities worth considering:
- Donald Love could return as the butt of numerous jokes, sparking backlash from conservatives and Trump himself.
- MAGA culture, especially in the South, could be made fun of and critiqued, resulting in controversy.
- Progressive ideals, like universal basic income, could be mocked, alienating some liberal audiences.
It's hard to tell what exactly GTA 6 will look like in this respect. But there are worse things than attracting political controversy: if GTA 6 is as well-written and nuanced as its predecessors, then such sociopolitical commentary could be a net positive for society, despite potential short-term consequences.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- November 19, 2026
- ESRB
- Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. 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.
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)
- Prequel(s)
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- November 19, 2026
- PS5 Release Date
- November 19, 2026
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
