GRAND THEFT AUTO VI: AN EXTENDED LOOK (2026) REVIEW

Joshua Lightfoot

9/3/26

27 minutes

‍ ‍We're getting close. I can feel it. A video game that is going to be so epic, even my grandma will be playing it. Of course, I'm talking about Grand Theft Auto VI. I hope you gamers have your PTO approved for the week of and after November 19th, 2026. I also hope that in preparation for this time you plan to stockpile 5-hour Energy Shots, G FUEL, Pizza Rolls, and Chickie Nuggies to get you through it with as minimal movement as possible. We now know that this thing is absolutely real. It is happening. After the official trailer drop 3 years ago and an extremely lengthy delay timeline, the wait will finally be over soon.

In anticipation of a video game that will no doubt make 40-year-olds never leave their parents basement and add more excuses for girlfriends to get mad at their boyfriends, an "Extended Look" feature dropped on Netflix. This Extended Look, glorified trailer, showcase, call it what you will runs for only 27 minutes. I think it does an excellent job at showing off what to expect. Looking at these segments, the thing that strikes me first is its realism. Lifelike detail, lighting, voice acting, characters, and camera movement hit you all at once. In its opening shot on the streets, your immediate reaction is a need to explore this open world video game on your own. The video first takes you inside a shady, run-down apartment complex. But I don’t want to go in there. I want to explore what I know will be a massive map layout. It’s tough to just simply watch and not get the chance to play.

I can tell that there is going to be a great deal of focus on the characters and their backstory. Our 2 leads are Lucia and Jason, who work well together given this preview’s limited run time. They play out like a modern-day Bonnie & Clyde, showing portions of their relationship and chemistry while displaying their violent behavior all around the city of Miami. The preview promises all the things that fans of previous installments in this franchise are accustomed to. Shootings, robberies, fighting, car jackings, and explosions. Crime themed missions look cinematic, like a cross between the mob movies of director Martin Scorsese and the epic scale of director Michael Mann. The intensity is immeasurable and the gameplay is engaging. The series has also noticeably not lost its touch when it comes to having a sense of humor. The riff on Arby’s sandwich commercials on a television got a big laugh from me. Montages of activities range from motorcross racing, all the way to deep sea diving. There will never be a shortage of things to do in this game. Say goodbye to your social life if you ever had one.

The thing I’m most looking forward to are the radio stations and their track listings. Vibing while exploring the game layout has always been the most important part for me in Grand Theft Auto. This goes all the way back to cruising the streets of Vice City on the PS2 back in 2002. “Let Your Love Flow” by The Bellamy Brothers appropriately begins over the Grand Theft Auto VI logo. A montage of chaos while “People are People” by Depeche Mode blasting with a resoundingly heavy bass tells me that we will for sure be getting an 80’s New Wave radio station. Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) by Phil Collins is also another standout needle drop. I’m too old to recognize a few of the more modern songs. Of course, this only scratches the surface of what is to come once the full game is released.

One massive controversy looming over the release of Grand Theft Auto VI is Sony’s big announcement of the discontinuation of physical game discs starting at the beginning of 2028. I’ve never purchased an entire game or movie digitally and never plan to. Retail purchases of the game will only include a digital download code. As of right now, there are no plans to release Grand Theft Auto VI on disc. This is really disappointing to hear since I’ve been a huge media collector my entire life. Physical Media is important to me bea-cu-ase it provides true ownership, the freedom to sell or trade, and you never have to worry about it disappearing from your library. Being a huge cheerleader for physical media and hearing this after being hyped for so long was a big letdown. I do hope Sony and Rockstar Games have a change of heart, but my gamer friend I spoke with has serious doubts and told me not to hold my breath.

Just through this short video, I know that once you enter the world of Grand Theft Auto VI, it’s going to be tough to be pulled away from it. The pure scale of it is mesmerizing. Guaranteed to cure boredom and waste countless hours on. Who knows where we will be in the world of gaming in 10 to 20 years. I’ll probably laugh at my own comments about the game’s realism in the future. But where we are right now looking at these graphics and this world, “impressive” doesn’t even come close to describing it. I believe “insane” is a far more appropriate word. I know we waited years for this game to be released but If Grand Theft Auto VI is even half as good as this Extended Look, it will absolutely be worth the wait.

Grand Theft Auto VI will be available for the PS5 and XBOX on November 19th, 2026. The Extended Look was exclusive to Netflix for only a few hours. It has since been ported to YouTube. It can be viewed HERE.